Corrupted Souls
by 225Starburst
Summary: (AU Human) The city of New Orleans, the city where blood runs on the streets, as much as it runs in veins. The Mafia family leader, Mikael Mikaelson must make a decision to unite the corrupted souls of the city, while in search of 500.000 dollars. The bonds of marriage, lust and love between the Mafia children collide with the bonds of family. Who will survive the Mikaelson wrath?
1. Family Business

**Here I am with a new AU story about Klaus, Hayley and other The Originals characters. We will explore together a pitiful world of darkness, the world of the Mafia. A world in which love and compassion is not supposed to mean anything in comparison to money and power.**

 **This is the story of a very sophisticated and big family in the Mafia with the intention to take back what belongs to them in the first place. As the story progresses, things are going to get more complicated when passion and fire involve with other families. The story will involve the Mikaelson family, the Gerard family, the Claire family, the Marshall family, the O'Connell family and the Deveraux family as of now. Five Mafia families, with completely different goals. Some are implicated in the secret Alliance, some are not, therefore becoming the enemies. What happens when someone disturbs the peace and when the biggest and most powerful family wants to take back what is theirs, following through kills, blood, darkness, drugs, passion, love and fire.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Mikael Mikaelson leads his sons into a murder spree late into the night. 500.000 $ are to be found, as interrogations with Casper Roland, an involved person in the corrupted Mafia world, drop dead. A small manifestation at this man's house, leads to security complications. At one of the most famous parties in Rousseau's, after being isolated from her Mafia involved parents all her life, Hayley Marshall steps into the dark world with her boyfriend, Jackson, and is thrown off guard by the charming Niklaus Mikaelson.**

* * *

Rough night in the city of New Orleans, a night like no other. The city was known for a lot of things, having been corrupted a very long time ago. Ambitions ran high and emotions ran low. Before, it used to be the other way around. It was a battle for survival and the Mafia had made sure to corrupt this city till the end. At daytime, you would think this was just an ordinary city but you wouldn't want to be caught alone late at night.

It did happen one night when people were into town, drinking and having some fun with their pals, girlfriends or boyfriends and no one could hear a thing, outside of the most famous bar in New Orleans, Rousseau's. The French Quarter of the city was the most dangerous one and no one wanted to know if certain blood was gushing out of a corpse as they partied. Poor people were safe, but the same couldn't be said for the rich ones.

It was him, Mikael Mikaelson, the deadliest of them all. The toughest of the toughest with a gun in his hand as he led the other four men behind him. They were known for their family, who had gotten rich over the years through treachery and wisdom. They weren't just an ordinary family, into the Mafia. They were the most respected and the best corrupters. The Mikaelson family was above any other corrupted family in New Orleans. "This way." Mikael whispered to the four men, which happened to be his sons. They were the heirs to the Mikaelson estate and fortune. The oldest brother of 30 years old pulled away his mask and revealed attractive aristocratic figures, which formed his face. He was considered an eligible bachelor at parties, wanted by many women because of his humbleness and perseverance. He preferred reading rather than drinking out late into the night like his brothers. Elijah Mikaelson revealed to his father the coifed, dark brown hair and his gorgeous dark eyes. He pulled out a knife, preferring a clean kill.

His brothers were nothing like him. The one closest to Elijah was the one and only Finn Mikaelson, 29 years old, pulled away his mask as well and grinned as he looked over at the majestic house they were about to break in. His teeth were shinning in the dark and was known to have one of the most seductive smirks by women. His temper was low as was his patience and he would never do well without a drink occasionally, and preferred to be the one doing the drug sniffing when they had the chance. His hair was curled up to his shoulder and his stumble could be shown with the eye color and hair color that matched his elder brother's.

The one and only charming brother of the family and the cleverest one of them all, Niklaus Mikaelson, preferably called Klaus, 26 years old, was the one preferred in missions by his father. He was the one who knew all the time when to act and how. He pulled away his mask, revealing his honey blonde hair and electric blue eyes and the smirk that was on his face could not be replaceable. The hair color and the eye color matched his mother's one hundred percent but his charming personality was his entire father's work. Mikael was proud to call Niklaus his son and made sure to lay all the important work on him.

Kol Mikaelson was the one Klaus depended on most. His just as charming, 23 year old brother was the youngest but could also be the deadliest when tested by the enemies. He pulled away his mask and searched through his bag at the many weapons he had brought with him. It was his hobby, his passion to create weapons that were one of a kind in the family business. Mikael rolled his eyes at him and demanded one of the weapons. "Are you sure that this is appropriate, Kol? You will get a hell of a beating if this doesn't go right." Mikael threatened him and Kol was the one to roll his eyes this time. "When are you going to trust me?" "When you deserve to be trusted and I don't think now's the time for that." Kol wasn't exactly what people would call reliable and you couldn't trust him with anything, not even a secret.

Klaus put his finger to his lips and Mikael nodded as movement could be heard inside the house. Elijah pulled out his goggles to look inside through the window. "Casper is out of his room. What the hell are we going to do now?" "We go through with the plan." Mikael responded and Klaus pulled out the clip he had and worked on the lock of the door, slowly pushing it open as Finn freezed the cameras, including the alarms as to not be set on. "Go, go, go!" Mikael demanded at once and Klaus pushed open the door, letting the men inside and they closed the door shut, locking it as Kol locked the windows of the living room. Casper Roland, the man who was their current target was currently in the bathroom, taking a shower late in the night. "Maybe I can use this tool to cut his balls off if he doesn't start talking." Kol showed his father what he had created but Mikael had brushed him off. They went closer to the bathroom slowly. Klaus bust open the door with the gun in his hand as he pointed it to the naked man in the tub.

Casper Roland put up his hands, frightened and Finn started laughing uncontrollably when he saw what he saw. "Well, well, well! Look what we have here, boys!" he exclaimed and Mikael put his hand up to tell him that he was the one who was supposed to be doing all the talking. "Get out of there!" he demanded to the man who was still soaked up in water but the last thing he wanted was to get shot so he stepped out of the bathtub with his hands still in the air. Klaus took a towel and a bathrobe with him and Kol groaned when he saw him. "Come on! Can't we just leave him like this?" he complained and Klaus shook his head. "The image of him naked brings terrible pictures into my mind, Kol. I don't want that." "Nik, you were never the one to enjoy the fun." "Well, we all know that is not entirely true. I am just waiting for the proper moment when I can have some fun." Elijah shushed the two and the men all gathered up in the living room where they pushed Casper into a chair. "Start talking!" Mikael demanded.

"What…what…what are you talking about?" Casper babbled as he looked up at them. Mikael rubbed his forehead and whispered, "You are only going to make it worse on yourself, Casper. It's either you start talking about what you know or my sons over here are going to burn your house to the ground, and you along with it." Casper moved in his chair, still refusing to speak and moved his head to Klaus. "You disgust me, you know. I gave you a car for your birthday. And you let them do this to me. I thought we were friends." Klaus had his arms crossed over his chest as he played with the black gun in his hand, effortlessly. "You were our friend once and you're not anymore now. The only one you have to blame for this is yourself, Casper. Not anyone else!"

Mikael put his gun to Casper's forehead and whispered, "Start talking now, and quit wasting my time, by distracting my son." "What do you want from me?" "Where is my money, Casper?" Mikael asked him once again in a whisper. "What the hell? What money are you talking about? I don't have your money." "No, you don't. But you were behind this just as much as the people who took it from us." Mikael pushed the gun further on his forehead and Casper gulped. "Let me make you understand this better, son. 500,000 thousand dollars had been stolen from our account and I know that you know who took it. If I didn't know any better, I would say you kept some of that money for yourself for the trouble. You've always been the cheapskate type of guy."

Casper didn't look surprised which meant that he knew exactly what Mikael was talking about. "I will pay you back for it. I promise just give me some time…" Casper started saying and Mikael pulled back the gun. "You don't have that kind of money, Casper. Stop lying to us." "But I do!" "From whom? You were kicked out of the business a long time ago. Our family was the one who supported you. You have no wife and no children. Just prostitutes coming by your house whenever you get your hand on some good money. You have invested everything you had in this house and in your car. If you don't tell me who has stolen our money, you are going to lose everything that you had fought so hard to keep." Mikael explained and looked at him with fury in his eyes. "Shall we try this again?" "Go to hell!" Casper whispered and spit on the floor as Finn was losing his patience. "We have a party to get to, pretty boy. Tell us where our load is and no one gets hurt around here. Do you get me?" he asked and Casper still didn't say anything. At last, Finn was the one who pointed the gun to him, but Klaus stopped him.

"What the hell do you want now?" Finn asked and Elijah intervened. "Niklaus is right. Shooting him won't do us any good. We will never learn where the money that was stolen from us is." Finn pulled back the gun and gasped. "How in God's name are you supposed to live in this town if you can trust no one? Why have we gotten ourselves into this alliance if it wasn't going to work out? You have people like this douchbag over here betraying you 24/7!" Elijah calmed down Finn and moved to Klaus. "Whatever you want to do, do it now. Father is no longer going to be patient with this man." Klaus nodded and leaned over Casper. "How long have we known one another?" he asked with a smirk on his face and Casper returned the smirk. "Since you were a small boy, Nik. I gave you just as much as this father of yours had, because you deserve so much more than these idiotic brothers of yours." He whispered and Klaus prayed that the others haven't heard this. "Do you have a death wish?" "I am dead anyway man." Casper mumbled and Klaus frowned. "What are you talking about?" "You don't know what this family is capable of." "You don't know what my father I capable of. If you tell us what we want to know now, you get off the hook and we can protect you from this family if you just tell us who it is." Mikael pulled Klaus away and pointed the gun at Casper and said, "One last chance."

"Father." Klaus mumbled but Mikael pretended not to hear him as he shouted, "One last time, Casper! Where are the 500,000 dollars which belong to my family? Answer me now! Who has them?" Casper's mouth remained shut and a smirk was placed on his face as if he felt Mikael was bluffing but he wasn't really. Before Klaus could say anything more, Mikael put a bullet into his head and Casper lay dead on the ground, blood spilling all over the floor. "Finally." Kol whispered. "Get rid of the evidence, bury the body and hide any trail that would lead to us." Mikael informed Elijah and he got right on it. Mikael smiled and pretended like he had not just killed someone and did his best to put a smile on Klaus' face. "Was that really necessary, Father?" Klaus asked him. Mikael looked at him in surprise and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You know I have always admired you, Niklaus, but that money is a necessity for our family now. We can't appear weak in front of the Council, especially since I am the one leading it and as for your mother..." Klaus' face darkened as he was once again reminded of his mother's disease. "She needs the transplant." Klaus whispered and Mikael nodded. "The way you were raised…I couldn't have asked for a better son." At that comment, Elijah, Kol and Finn raised their heads, somehow hurt but at the same time, determined that they are just as worthy as the favorite son. "But you have so much more you need to learn. There is so much more that I can teach you…if you pay attention and do what is right." The tone in his voice darkened and Klaus put on a straight face, raising his chin and muttering, "Yes, Father." " Good! Come on, boys! We have a party to attend!" he called out.

…

Rousseau's occasionally had parties like these which the people of New Orleans could enjoy. The men entered the bar and Esther's face lightened up when she saw her husband and her boys. She went over and kissed their cheeks. "Where have you been? The party had started over an hour ago. We were all waiting for you." Her voice showed that she had been terribly worried for them. "We had some business to take care of sweetheart." Mikael mumbled and kissed his wife with a charming smile on his face that always made Esther forgive him and not make him feel guilty about not being around her as much as he used to. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he pulled her closer to him and Esther simply shook her head. "You know that it is nothing serious, Mikael." "The start of a lung cancer is serious." he snapped and looked at her for a moment. Esther bit her lip, knowing better than to challenge her husband. "I promise you that I will find a way to get you that transplant before the tumor spreads. Whatever it takes."

"Sister!" Klaus called out with a smile when the brothers saw their smaller sister come over to them and gave them all big hugs. Rebekah was 20 years old and did not really care about the business that her family was in. All she cared about was having fun. Klaus was her closest brother, and often companion during one of her mischiefs. Elijah would usually tell them both to keep out of trouble, but the two Mikaelsons were hard to keep in line. Mikael always looked past the mistakes Klaus made, which drove the noble brother, Elijah insane. He believed he should be in the apple of his father's eye.

"Guess who is singing tonight for us." Rebekah said with a smile. Klaus rolled his eyes. "Who now? Another one of your crushes?" "No, silly! Marcel Gerard." "That big show-off? Why did you have to spoil my mood, Rebekah?" "He is not a show-off and he is in fact a good dancer and singer." The Mikaelson brothers knew that Marcel Gerard's parents were in the Mafia but greatly disliked him so they didn't bother even getting to know him better. Rebekah did, though. She worshiped him, and little did her family more that she was prepared for more than the friendship she had with this Marcel Gerard.

…

Camille O'Connell, age 26, was the bartender serving the drinks and food tonight and she always kept a gun hidden in one of her aprons in case she really needed it at night. She hated her job but it was the best she could get for now in the city that her uncle had grown up in. Camille was not one who would rather be here but Kieran O'Connell, her uncle was the only one she had, beside half-brother and sister, Sean and Gia. Sean was away in another state and he left her here to take care of Rousseau's and everything that involved it and Gia was studying at a faraway university. Kieran O'Connell had gotten his family involved in the Mafia, thinking it would be the best thing for the three. Their parents died a while ago and their uncle was all the family they had left. They were pretty lonely. Sean had graduated and gone off to live somewhere away from the dangers of the city, Gia as well, although Camille didn't mind as her relationship with her half-sister had never been that great. The truth was that she was the true fighter in her family and she always felt like the bastard daughter, just because her father had an affair with another woman and had her, as a burden in his wife's life and his other children's as well, Gia and Sean.

Camille loved literature and she loved to write poetry, but her past had determined her to be more involved in the Mafia. Her uncle had taught her the basic skills, using the gun and a knife, but she also wanted a life. She wanted someone to care for her, just as she had seen men care for their women. She had always wanted to study literature, but for Father Kieran, being a part of something bigger than their family and the influence they had over the people in the city was more important to him than what she wanted.

Marcel dropped by at her counter and said seductively, "Sweetheart, mind grabbing me one of your special vodkas? I am kind of perched." Camille grinned and winked at him as she handed him a full bottle of vodka. "I can only imagine with a singing voice like yours, Marcel. You can shoot everyone in here. You must be offered the best." Marcel and Camille had always had a thing for one another. He often came into the bar to flirt with her and she flirted right back. They had even had a one-night stand when they were both drunk at a party once. Marcel had told her that night had to be just a one-time thing for them but Camille often found herself, wanting to spend more nights like those with the rapper. She was attracted to him very much. She often had trouble resisting him, and even as innocent as she seemed and more focused being induced in the family business, Camille had this desire in her of having a man beside her. "Come to the back of the bar, where the storage is. I have something that I want to show you." Camille whispered and grinned as she took his hand in hers. He followed her, still hiked up on the vodka, as he drank almost the entire bottle.

As soon as they got into the back, Camille placed her hands on his face and pushed her lips onto his and started kissing him passionately. For a moment, he kissed her back and she started taking his shirt off but he snapped out of it and pushed her away a little. "What is going on with you?" Camille asked and looked surprised at his pull back. "Cami, I thought that we agreed that what happened a couple of days ago was nothing. Yes, it happened but I moved on now and so should you." "Why should I? Why are you making me move on when we obviously have something going on between us?" "No, we don't. Take care of yourself." Marcel whispered and went back to the party, leaving her in the back. It wasn't like she wasn't expecting this rejection but she was hoping that it wouldn't have to be this way and that he would look back and remember their time together and possibly want to be with her.

…

Sophie Deveraux, age 25, walked inside, clinging onto her best friend, Kaleb. They had been friends ever since they were kids. "Two tequila shots!" Sophie called out to Camille. She got them right away and handed one to Kaleb. "To our friendship, Kaleb! May it never end!" He chuckled and said, "Well, that depends. What happens when you get married? I don't know how your husband is going to feel about you being just friends with a gorgeous guy like me."

Sophie giggled and hit his shoulder. "Shut up! Like I am ever going to get married!" "How do you know that you won't? You're beautiful and you've got some class in you. I don't see why you won't get married." "My sister wanted to get married and my parents didn't let her. Jane Ann is 30 and she doesn't have a husband yet. I wonder if my parents will ever find that perfect guy they would approve of." That was just her excuse. She knew deep down that her parents would never allow her to get married and have a life because of what they've gotten themselves into. The Mafia was her life and soon, she and Jane Ann would take over the family business, building alliances and manipulating people into giving them cash. It was the only thing she knew but she did dream about having a normal life, as normal as it could be.

…

Mikael went over to kiss Esther's cheek, knowing that it had a certain effect on her and held her by her waist. "Where were you? Really now, tell me the truth." she finally whispered and Mikael turned her around. "Where else would I have been? I took my sons out for some drinks. I told you that." Esther gave him a look. "Mikael, I know you and I know the business. You haven't been the same since you found out our money is gone. 500,000 dollars are not a big deal. We can take care of ourselves. That is why we partnered up with…" She looked around, afraid to mention any name. "I promise you that I am going to get that money back, if it is the last thing I do and I don't care how many people have to suffer because of it." "What about our sons? What about our daughter? They should not be caught in this? They should be…" "Esther, I know damn well that my sons are to be in this business with me. They will be running it soon. I won't have them running around like a couple of teenagers after women." "They are teenagers." "They are men!" Mikael roared.

Klaus was having a drink when the memory of the cruel dead body of Casper came into his mind. He could have saved him from his father. He knew he could have. Rebekah came up to him with a bright smile on his face. "Have you seen the last dance of Marcel? He was just incredible." Klaus chuckled and whispered, "Sister, I wish that you would keep it on the down low. The last thing that we need is for you to get involved with Marcel Gerard." Rebekah scoffed. "That's ridiculous! Like he'd ever be interested in me." Klaus crunched up his eyebrows when he caught her making a weird face and before he could ask, she was gone.

…

Through the door came in a gorgeous young woman, in a beautiful lavender dress with her hair tied up in a bun, leaving some layers to fall down behind her ears. She wore no make-up but still looked as stunning as ever. She was accompanied by a man by the name Jackson. Hayley Marshall, age 22, belonged to the Marshall family of the Mafia. This was one of the few times that she had attended a party like this with her current boyfriend. She preferred not to go out in public much for personal reasons. Everyone knew that the Marshall had a daughter but no one really knew what she looked like as they hadn't seen her with her parents, never. Hayley was glad that there won't be anyone at the party to recognize her.

Jackson found them some seats at a table and looked at one another, smiling. "You're the most beautiful girl tonight." Jackson commented and Hayley blushed, smiling. Her and Jackson had been dating for a couple of months and have only recently started going out in public together. This was a big night for the two of them. She wanted it to be special but so did he but in his own way. They ate in silence and Jackson got himself a couple of drinks before he couldn't take it and said, "Hayley, I think it's time to move forward in our relationship." Hayley smiled when she heard that but shook her head. "Jack, if you are proposing…I can't…" Jackson furrowed his eyebrows. "I am not proposing, don't worry." "Oh. Then, what did you want to talk about? What did you mean by that?" He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You know that we have been dating for months now, right? I get that you are still a little freaked out about it but…I need to start feeling like a man again. Not once have we had sex!" he called out and Hayley looked around at the people and whispered, "Please, be quiet. We are in a public place."

"Come on, Hayley! Be serious with me now. Why are you pushing this away when we can move on to the next level?" he asked and Hayley blushed a little as she looked at her hands. "Jack…listen…we have gone through this and I told you that I am not ready. I can't sleep with you. I just can't." Jackson scoffed and grinned like a maniac. "I really am a fool then. I don't even know what the hell I am doing here anymore." He took his last swig of bourbon and headed out on the streets. Hayley took her coat and followed him. She looked around but he was nowhere to be found. At that moment, she felt someone pushing her against the wall.

She felt like she couldn't breathe but she could see Jackson trying to strangle her. His eyes showed everything. He was drunk beyond control. "Jackson, please, let go of me!" Hayley yelled out desperately as she felt his hands travel to her tights, pulling up her dress. "No! We are going to do this once and for all!" he yelled into her face and Hayley began screaming uncontrollably before she could feel himself pry off of her. She opened her eyes and saw Jackson being punched to death by another man. She gasped as she saw Jackson standing up with a bloody nose and running away. She was trembling as she looked at the man whose knuckles were bleeding. "Don't worry about it, love. I'm used to it." He said when he saw her concern. She looked back up into his eyes and saw them glimmering blue. "Are you alright?" he asked and she nodded quickly, getting back inside.

She wanted to get away from everyone and didn't know why she went back inside when she felt someone pull her back. It was him again and he had a smirk on his face. She suddenly recognized him as one of the Mikaelson boys. She didn't think that he recognized her and she didn't plan on telling him who she was. "Allow me to introduce your savior, Niklaus Mikaelson." He said and pointed at himself, before holding out his hand to her. Hayley took it, nervously and whispered, "Hayley M…" she stopped and then whispered "Mitchel. Hayley Mitchel." "It's nice to meet you, Hayley." "Look, thank you for saving me but I really want to be alone now." "I understand. But after something like that, you could use a drink. Why don't you join me for one?" Hayley looked around and noticed his brothers and his father. She gulped and shook her head. "No, I don't think so." She wanted to leave but was turned right back by Klaus. He knew that she was most probably afraid of spending some quality time alone with him. "It'll be just us. I promise." Hayley finally nodded.

The truth was that he hadn't just magically appeared to save her life outside. He had been watching her since she had entered the room and was waiting for the perfect moment to steal her away from her boyfriend. There was a look of devil in his eyes as he looked into her own angelic ones and he noticed that even though they looked angelic on the outside, there was a little darkness of her that needed to be revealed. He wanted to know her. He felt a sudden rush of desire for her. He pushed the door open for her as she walked inside, and felt a warm hand being pressed on her back. What did he want with her? Hayley was prepared to tell him off, but she couldn't. He was a Mikaelson. But as long as she has known herself, she knew that guys would only want one thing from her: sex. She wouldn't have it, even if this guy saved her from the worst thing that could ever happen to a woman. She was convinced that this would be just a simple conversation. She didn't like the look he was giving her. Hayley noticed he was dangerous…she had to make this short and quick. The further she got away from him, the better.

 **A/N: This was the first chapter and I am going to update soon. I always wanted to write a crime sort of fanfiction. I used this chapter for you to get to know the characters better and I wonder if you can identify the top 4 couples that are going to be in this story ;)**

 **The real fun has just begun. In the next chapter, we will get to know more about Hayley and get to know Davina, as I couldn't fit her into this chapter much.**

 **Review please and let me know what you think of this first chapter and what you think of the Mikaelson family. I decided to have every member included this time.**


	2. Land Of The Moneymakers

**In the last chapter, the Mikaelsons got to have their first kill but no clue as to where their money is. We got to know many characters but not all of them and at one of the greatest parties in New Orleans at night, drama filled the air.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Hayley and Klaus embark into a heated meeting, after saving her life. Knowing who he is and his family's reputation, Hayley remembers her own as she tries to keep the truth about her true identity hidden from the experienced killer. A secret and more forbidden love between two people will be revealed and the relationship between the Mikaelson brothers deepens, as well as Esther's thoughts of the dangerous business her husband is involved in and how her sons are now too.**

* * *

"Have a seat, please." Klaus whispered as he took Hayley by the arm and set her down on a chair in the room. She was still a little shaky but did her best as to not show him that. She had already lied about who she really was. She didn't know what she should be doing next. Klaus got her a warm drink and he took a seat on the other side of the table with a charming smile on his face. She didn't like it. Not that she didn't find it attractive, but she didn't like his focus on her. He had the look of a dangerous man that she knew would be best not to cross.

"Why did you save me from that?" Hayley suddenly asked, putting her shaky hands on the table. She knew who he was, she knew his reputation and her parents had told her everything there was to know about him. Mikael was not the kind of person that handled things with care and wisdom like her parents did. He was violent and cruel with everyone but his family. The same thing went for his sons, since he was the one who raised them. Her parents had told her not to get involved with a Mikaelson in any sort of way, no matter how approachable they may seem at first. She took that into consideration. She respected her parents' wishes. They only wanted the best for her and she was going to honor their wishes. The Marshalls and the Mikaelsons have been rival families for as long as they could remember, along with other families.

Her question was direct and it did take Klaus by surprise. He smirked as he leaned over even more and whispered close to her. "Why wouldn't a pretty girl such as yourself just accept that she was rescued by a fine man and let it go? Why bother asking these pointless questions?" Hayley folded her hands across her chest. The music went on and Marcel Gerard had stopped singing, going in the back of the room. Some slow jazz music began playing. It has always been the Mikaelsons' favorite type of music, and people made sure to please them. You could rarely ever get a Mikaelson as a friend, and if you do, you get many opportunities in the city. The Mikaelson name had a greater influence than any other family in the Mafia. She was not going to stoop so low as to fall for his charming British accent and his sexy flirting words he probably used with many girls that crossed his path. Hayley was different and she was going to show that.

"My problems are really none of your business. Jackson was drunk clearly because he would have never tried to rape me like that if he had been sober." Klaus began laughing at his words and got himself a strong drink from a blonde waitress. "You are going to defend the man that forced himself on you and turn your back on the man who saved your honor as a woman? I'm impressed, love. You sure know how to make a first impression." He sat back in his chair and Hayley leaned in closer this time. "I know you and I know your family. You don't just save people without expecting something in return. That is not your style and you know it." She hissed at him. He frowned a little this time with his eyes darkening a little. Hayley maintained her position and refused to be intimidated by him. "Are you calling me a bloody cruel person, love?" "The damn right I am." "Hmm." Klaus said, taken aback by her outburst. "You do know what my father can do to you if he hears you speak those words? My family is the best thing that has happened to this city. We've livened it up and you should be grateful for that." "Grateful?" she asked, outraged and at that moment, Klaus stood up, gulping down the rest of his drink. "I am starting to regret saving you, love. I should have left you to bleed out there." He mumbled.

Hayley was being selfish here because no matter who he was and what he has done, he had saved her life and she owed him at least a "Thank you". She didn't know how she would have appeared in front of her parents had she just been raped. Thank God that it didn't happen! For her family, it would have been a great embarrassment, especially since Hayley had no idea of how the Mafia business went. Her parents had decided to keep her out of everything, but they still told her all about the dangers outside the protective walls of her home. Her pride got the better of her, especially after what he said to her and didn't thank him, but left the table, same as he. She felt so impolite at this moment. She had never acted this way, around any person, but she knew who he was now and she couldn't show respect towards him.

…

Kol had his hands wrapped around two blonde strippers and he seemed to be enjoying the way they were dripping scotch on his chest. Elijah chuckled as he stepped forward and pointed at him, whispering, "Father is not going to be pleased and frankly, Kol, neither am I." Kol rolled his eyes and said, "Give me a break, Elijah! Father is busy sucking it up to Mom and just because you're the oldest, that does not mean that you get to tell me what to do." "You witnessed a man dying in the hands of your father and you are in the mood to party?" "Why the hell are we here then? If I get lucky, I might as well get laid tonight. It's not like Casper was innocent. I just think it was wrong for dad to kill him. He knew where our 500.000 dollars are." "Keep your voice down. Someone might hear us on the subject." Elijah hissed at him.

One of the girls pulled Kol in for a hot smocking kiss and Elijah tapped his feet. "You know that Father is not going to approve of this." "Father insisted that we don't have girlfriends. He didn't say anything about not having one night stands, Elijah. So look around. You could use someone good looking yourself. I don't think that you'd gotten laid in a century. Stop being so proper all the time. You just witnessed a guy being shot and it's not the first time. It's a night to let go of everything and that is why Father decided to bring us here instead of leaving us at home to train for the next assignment. We still have a mission to complete." "Yes, and I don't know how you are going to get it completed with a splitting headache the next morning." Kol groaned. "When Nik drinks and scrambles around with women, people don't say anything. When it is me doing that, they do complain. Why?" "Because at least Niklaus has some restrain and pride left, unlike you, brother." That was a harsh blow for Kol who quickly decided to ignore Elijah.

…

Rebekah went back stage and saw him. She rushed forward to him, making sure that nobody saw her and he grinned when he saw her looking so excited. "Oh, I missed you!" she exclaimed as she flung her arms around him, kissing him passionately. Marcel kissed her back and smiled. He and Rebekah had been secretly dating one another for the past month and Marcel suddenly felt guilty as he remembered what he and Cami had done just a couple of minutes ago. She had kissed him and he had let her. Rebekah looked into his eyes and Marcel just couldn't resist her beauty and her style. He had to tell this woman the truth or he was surely going to lose her if she found out from anyone but him. "Rebekah, I have to tell you something." She looked at him and frowned a little. "You're not breaking up with me now are you?" She gave him a toothy grin to let him know that she was just joking. "Of course not, sweetie. I just have to let you in on something and it's not pretty." Rebekah pulled her hands away, listening.

"The thing is that today, when you were with your family and I finished my first solo on the stage, I ran into Cami again and she…" Rebekah put her hand to her forehead, afraid of what she was going to find out. "Let me guess. She took you in the back room and made a move on you, didn't she?" "Yes, she did. She kissed me but I pulled back and told her to stop obsessing over me." "But are you going to tell me that you're not sexually attracted to her anymore? You had a one night stand with her, after all." Marcel nodded and said, "Yes, I know that but that was in the past and it is not something that I would ever wish to repeat with anyone. I love you, Rebekah. I want us to be together for as long as we can." Rebekah smiled at his words and kissed him gently on the lips. "I know you love me and I know that you would never do anything to hurt me. You've proven that many times and I thank you for that. Thank you for being honest with me. Not many men have been to be honest." "That's a shame!" Marcel whispered and kissed her again. "You are a radiant beauty and I am lucky to have you."

Rebekah and Marcel finished they make out session and looked around to make sure that nobody was watching. Her father had never allowed Rebekah to date so of course she had no choice but go behind his back this time. She knew that she would never even approve of her seeing the son of a rival family, the Geralds. It was one of his absolute family laws. If anyone broke those laws, Mikael would have him or her pay, even if she was a part of the family. Her and Marcel had been good sneaking around and had managed to do so for some time and they figured that it wouldn't be a big deal to continue especially when they had something big going on. "I don't think that I can keep lying to my parents about this, Rebekah. Unlike your father, my parents encourage me to start seeing girls, girls fit for me to marry and produce family heirs. That's what they want. Of course the only woman that I want is you but…" Rebekah smiled again and he was lost for words. She liked when he was speaking like that with her. "I can't keep lying to them." "So you…what are you planning to do?" "I want to tell them." "No, you can't do that! You tell your parents and this relationship is over, Marcel, I mean it!"

"What are you so worried about? I am going to take care of everything. I am going to tell my parents and ask them to keep this a secret from the rest of the families. Everything is going to be fine." "No, it's not. These kinds of things easily get out and when my father hears about it…" "He is not going to." "How do you know that? How can you trust your parents so much? They are in the Mafia. Hell, I don't even trust my mother, much less my father. Your parents wouldn't like you seeing a Mikaelson and my father would flip his lid if he finds out that I have been seeing a Gerald behind his back. He is going to kill me." "You don't mean that." "Yes, I do. I am serious about this. This relationship remains a secret." "But I am tired of this, Rebekah. I want to go out in public and for people to see that I have a girlfriend that I can be proud of. I don't like hiding and we can't do it forever you know. Time will come when your father is going to push you into marriage, being his only daughter and who knows who he'll choose for you." Rebekah sighed and whispered, "You have a point. But for now, it still remains a secret. Just until we can figure out what we can do. Promise me, Marcel!" she begged and he kissed her. "I promise."

…

Hayley had chosen a more discreet table at the far corner of Rousseau's and looked over her contacts on her phone. She saw Jackson's number appearing on speed dial. She thought about calling him. He was still her boyfriend, wasn't he? Maybe he was totally wasted that he didn't even remember what he almost did. Before she could push the button to call him, her father's name appeared on her phone and she groaned. It was him calling to check up on her. She put the phone to her ear. "Hi, dad." She whispered and Jack grunted before saying, _"It's getting late, Hayley. What are you kids up to? Are you having fun?"_ She knew that he was talking about Jackson. She kept the tears from pouring out. She said something that she knew she was going to regret later. "Dad, Jackson and I are broken up." She said and Jack gasped. _"How did that happen? Hayley, my darling, are you alright? Maybe you should come home."_ "I need some time to myself right now, Dad. So I don't think that I can come home right now, but tell Mom to keep the dinner warm." _"Okay, sweetheart."_ There was some awkward silence afterwards.

 _"Are the Mikaelsons there?"_ Hayley nodded as she looked around and saw every single member except the one that she had saw earlier, Klaus. "Yep, they came here to party, I guess." _"Those bastards. I have never tolerated Mikael. I have nothing against his wife because she is a sweet woman and doesn't deserve what she's getting, but her children are rotten to the core, all because of their father."_ Hayley sighed as she had heard this coming from her father thousands of times before. "I can totally get it, Dad." _"Why have you met one of them?"_ "Who?" _"One of Mikael's sons."_ Hayley bit her lip but answered quickly, not hesitating so her father would see that she was not lying. "No, why would I interact with them? You told me to stay clear of them, didn't you?" _"Good, that's very good. Come home soon, Hayley so we can talk. Take all the time you need to get over this but please come home soon. Your mother wants to see you too."_ "Okay, I can promise that. But not quite yet. Bye dad!" Before he could say anymore, she hung up.

…

An unexpected young and sturdy girl showed up, determined to have some fun of her own. Davina Claire's parents were overprotective and preferred that she stayed indoors for her own safety at nights. She was unknown to the arts of self-defense and knew almost nothing about her parents' business. But that wasn't making her afraid of anything. "One mocha please, Cami." Davina ordered and Cami rolled her eyes when she saw her, giving her one. "Do you parents know that you are out again?" "What am I? 4? I am 18 years old now, Cami. I am of age and I have the right to do whatever the hell I want." "Don't get your panties in a twist. I was just asking. So, what are you parents doing tonight?" "Handling a murder case. What about yours?" "Mine are out of town at the moment. They are coming back tomorrow morning for some important meeting or whatever." "You are so lucky that they trained you everything that you need to know." Davina commented and drank her mocha. She didn't like alcohol.

Camille laughed and winked. "I know I am. I have the ability to keep these pervs off of me at night. You have no idea how many come around me." "What? Have they asked you to be your girlfriend?" "Worse. They asked me to spend the night with them and one actually proposed to me, but he was very drunk." "Did you say yes?" "What do you think, smarty pants?" "You could have said yes, had you been drunk yourself, which you are lately. What is it? Is this about Marcel again?" "You are so not getting free mocha anymore, Davina." "Come on! You have to get over it." "Get over what?" "Your attraction to Marcel. I mean I know that he's a hot guy and everything but I just don't think that the two of you are compatible together." "What do you know about being compatible, Davina?" "People treat me the way they do because I am still young in their eyes but I know and see a lot of things. I am telling you. You have to leave Marcel alone and find yourself a cure guy who is more right for you. Someone, you likes literature as you. Someone who can be interested in the music you play and the message you give to people with that violin. Marcel doesn't like the Opera, you know that. Think about it for a moment. Marcel is a rapper and you are a literature and violinist freak. Does that sound like compatible to you? I don't think so." "I am becoming pathetic, aren't I?" Camille whispered and Davina nodded. "I guess I can take your advice, D. Thanks!"

"Davina Claire?" Sophie exclaimed as she looked over Kaleb's shoulder. Davina smiled when she saw Sophie and went over to her to hug her. "What is going on? Where have you been?" Sophie asked her. "I haven't been around much because I have been focusing on graduating and now I have college formulas that need to be filled out." "Hey, little D. Why don't you come and join us?" Kaleb asked, pointing at a chair beside them and Davina accepted the invitation. Everyone had called her Little D in high school and the name kind of got stuck because no one got over it. It was Marcel who called her that first. "So, have you two love birds been up to? Have you hitched something up or are you playing it on the friendship mode still, afraid for a challenge at the higher level?" Davina asked and Sophie nearly spilled her drink. "Davina, I told you that Kaleb and I are just friends. There is nothing going on between us." "Are you sure about that?" Davina asked. "Yes!" Sophie and Kaleb said together. They really were just friends. Davina had always been trying to set them up together but Sophie and Kaleb had never been able to see themselves as anything more than best friends.

…

Finn was pouring himself another drink as he watched Kol dance with a couple of girls in the crowd and Mikael giving him disapproving looks, but ignored once. He chuckled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw his mother standing there with a serious look on her face. "What is it, Mom? Aren't you having a good time?" he asked and Esther whispered. "Finn, you have always been the son that I had valued most because of your honesty towards me. Honesty is not something that I get much in this family so I want you to tell me what happened. Tell me what you and your father had been up to all this time." "It's nothing for you to worry about, Mother. We are just trying to get our money back." "Please do it discreetly." "Don't we always, mother?" Finn asked with a wink.

"500.000 fucking dollars." He mumbled when his mother was out of earshot. He nearly threw the glass against the wall in anger. How could they have lost so much money? Mikael gave him a look and Finn realized that they would have to get help from their allies, if they hope to be allies again. The Mikaelsons were a big family and there were lots of kids that needed to be supported and Mikael always had thought about putting some things away for his future grandchildren. He wanted them to grow up to filthy rich and powerful as he was. They were the most powerful Mafia family in all of New Orleans. The other families knew who was on the top and no one would are mess with Mikael Mikaelson, the leader of their secret council, of some families' alliances. But someone had messed with this family and it resulted in the loss of 500.000 dollars. Every single penny counted, even though their family was loaded and Mikael was not going to rest until he found out who the thief was.

…

Hayley was wiping away a couple of tears and pressed the call button. He wasn't answering so she tried again. "Jackson!" she exclaimed when she heard his groggy voice. _"What do you want?"_ he asked and Hayley bit her lip. "I thought that maybe we could talk about what happened. I understand that the alcohol must have consumed you and I don't want you to blame yourself for what happened. We should talk." _"Yes, we should. I told you that I need to feel like a man again for once in my life, Hayley. If you are not willing to go on the next level, then I think we need to stop here. I apologize for what I almost done to you. I didn't mean it…but what I said before, I meant."_ "What are you talking about?" _"We should break this off. I don't think we have anymore what we used to have."_ "Just because I don't want to sleep with you?" Hayley asked, outraged. _"Hayley…"_ "No. You go right ahead and find yourself a sex partner and see if I care. I don't. We are done, Jackson! Have a nice life!" she ended the call and more tears fell of her face.

"That went well, if you think of it from a different perspective, little wolf." A sexy British voice whispered to her and she looked up to see his face again. She had no idea what his problem was and why he was following her. She huffed and put her phone in her purse. "What did you just call me?" she asked suddenly, rewinding his speech a little. "I suppose that someone as feisty as you are deserves a proper nickname, love. I was simply offering." He took a seat in front of her again and played with the drink that he put on the table. "So, you give nicknames to any girl that happens to cross your path?" she asked him this time, without a frown but a smirk on her face. She didn't know why it was that this particular obnoxious and insufferable Mikaelson son was making her feel better about her break up. He made her feel free. Klaus chuckled and shook his head. "Normally, I don't bother, as I am used to calling any girl "love", even my own sister. But for you, I decided to make an exception." "Why is that?"

Klaus looked around and grinned at the ladies that were giving him lustful eyes. She felt like slapping that smirk right off his face. He looked back towards her and she was ready to snap at him but she refrained herself. She didn't want to seem stupid. "Love, as I see it, you had a pretty rough night. I had a rough night of my own and I came here to relax and have fun with my family. From the way I see it, I think that you might be more comfortable at home." Hayley shook her head. "I am not leaving, Klaus. You can't tell me what to do." she told him.

…

Camille put her phone to her ear. "I can barely hear you over this music." She exclaimed. _"I just called to let you know that I have a very important meeting tomorrow and I wouldn't like to be disturbed."_ "What sort of meeting, uncle? You know me and you know I am prepared. I want to get more involved in this." _"When the time is right. Cami, I will give you your task and you will get the chance to prove yourself. You can even become a committee member as young as you are, if you prove that you are worthy. Remember what I told you. If you want a spot at that table so desperately, you have to…"_ "Impress Mikael Mikaelson. Yes, I know. Double the Mikael." _"This is not a joke, Camille. One of our members was found dead in his home just now."_ Camille groaned. "Who now? I am getting tired of these awkward and silenced murders." _"His name was Casper Roland, a very important member of our board. We are now one less and you know what that means. Someone is getting her big break. Anyway, Mikaelson called a meeting for tomorrow because of this and this is why I called. To make sure you don't bother me and to stay out of this. I don't want any more problems from you. You are giving me problems on the board. Mind your bartending and keep everything on the down low."_ "I'm not a baby. I got it. I know what I must do." Cami hurried and bumped into someone.

She groaned again as her phone touched the ground and the man picked it up, handing it to her. "I believe this belongs to you." He said, with a glass of scotch still in his hand. "Yes, and you should really watch where you're going." Camille told him with a roll of her eyes. The man looked at her strangely for one moment and asked, "You are Kieran O'Connell's niece, am I right?" "Yes, and who are you?" she asked, exasperated that she didn't get straight answers like she was used to with other people. This man had mystery written all over him. He was dressed in a suit, very formal for a wild party such as this one. Did he always dress like this? He held out his hand to her at last. "Elijah Mikaelson." She shook his hand without breaking eye contact and said, "A Mikaelson son, I'm impressed. You must be very proud of your daddy's accomplishments." She was pushing his buttons. That is what she wanted but he just smiled at her and said simply, "Actually, the only accomplishments that I am proud of are my own." Camille was not expecting that answer. She usually saw people as very predictable, except this one. "Double impressed. Now if you'll excuse me." She pushed past him at once. Elijah frowned but the smile remained on his face as he watched her walk away from him.

…

"Where are our sons?" Mikael whispered in Esther's ear and the two of them looked around. Kol had stopped dancing with the blonde girls and was now having plenty of drinks with them. Finn was making polite conversation with people, Elijah could not be seen and Klaus was shown sitting with someone and talking at a table in the back. They could not see who he was with. The Father grumbled, as he thought about the way he had educated them. Flirting with women was not something he was fond of. The only thing he would accept would be suitable wives for each of his sons, to provide heirs.

"I guess they are doing what you wanted them to do, Mikael. They are here to relax and have fun after such a hardworking day." Esther wanted to trick her husband this time. "Finn told me the truth, you know. He told me everything that you have been up to tonight." Mikael's eyes widened and he coughed a little. Finn, despite being his mother's son, hasn't said a word and wouldn't dare cross his father, but Esther had always been just as cunning, tricky and complicated as Mikael. She knew how to get her husband to tell her the truth about everything.

"Esther, please trust me…" "So you admit it's true?" "We were doing the right thing." "The right thing for whom? What were you going to gain by this?" "He left us no choice. We had to kill him. I told you, dear…I am doing everything for us and for our children, for the Mikaelson Family, all of us. Important money was taken. If we back out now, we will show signs of weakness and that is something I will never accept." Mikael insisted and Esther's eyes widened. She knew now. It had been all over the radio. Casper Roland, a hidden mafia board member was found dead in his house late this night. She was left for words.

…

"I am going to ask you again? Are you not planning on leaving?" "No, I already told you. I am staying right here." "That's too bad. This guy would have offered you a lift." "I don't think so, Klaus." He sighed and nodded. "Well, then. I best leave you to your worries and problems. I am sure that after tonight, you have a lot to digest. Goodnight." Klaus stood up from the table and Hayley looked at him for one moment and the events of this night replayed into her head. "Klaus!" she called out to him and stood up. He smirked as he heard her calling for him and turned around. "Thank you…for everything." She told him sincerely and Klaus nodded, still smirking and left, to find his brothers. Kol was still drinking with the blondes and laughing when Klaus pulled him off his chair and led him back to Mikael as Elijah and Finn followed.

Rebekah had pulled open the curtain from the backstage and checked herself in the mirror, wiping her lips and making sure that she didn't look flushed after what she and Marcel had been up to backstage. She went to find her family. "Rebekah, where have you been all this time?" Esther asked her and Rebekah shook her head. "I don't know. I think I might have had too much to drink and passed out somewhere. I can't remember." Mikael frowned at her when she said that. "We had a good night. Now, I suggest that we all head back to our home and prepare the training first thing tomorrow morning. I will be supervising you and then I will head to that meeting I was telling you about. Your mother knows now and I have you to thank for that, Finn." Mikael growled at his son and Finn frowned. "What?" Esther looked very smug with herself. "Let's go! I've had enough for one night!" Mikael told his family and grabbed Esther by the waist, leaving the party with his four sons and his beloved daughter behind him.

 **A/N: What do you think? I have already planned out everything I need for this story so it won't be like a story where I will get stuck and not know what to write next. I know perfectly well where I want to go with it, don't you worry.**

 **What did you guys like? This chapter, I liked but it will get more exciting in the next one, I promise. Hell will break loose, especially when a lot of people met one another for the first time in this chapter and they haven't left one another with good impressions.**

 **Please review and wish me luck with the next chapter!**


	3. The Family Feuds

**Third chapter coming up now. The Mafia is truly dirty in the heart of New Orleans and in this chapter, we will get more of an inside look on how it is run and what these people do, that corrupts the city. Mikael and his allies are going debate the mysterious murder of Casper Roland, while the Mikaelson sons reflect on the other night and train.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Set on dealing with the unexpected murder of Casper Roland, Mikael finally decides to communicate with the other members of the Mafia group of allies. Jackson will try to reconcile with Hayley, after regretting deeply the night he was drunk beyond his recognition. The relationship between Camille and her uncle gets more insight, as they deliberate what they can and cannot do in this criminal world. Davina and Sophie get together to discuss about their future, now that Little D, as everyone calls her, is ready to graduate. A big decision at the Board meeting for the Mafia will be made that will affect many people's lives from now on.**

* * *

Hayley had woken up in her bed the next morning to the sound of clacking noises coming from her room. She opened her eyes and saw the maid trying to get inside the room as quietly as she could, but failing. Her parents had hired a maid for the house, since it was too big and too much to do around. With their business and all, they could surely afford it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. Your parents had told me that you had a rough night and didn't want to be disturbed. I brought your tea." She whispered and set it down on her counter and Hayley smiled, thanking her. A chef came inside and brought her breakfast in bed at once. Hayley was getting used to this kind of lifestyle and she liked it, but the price was too much to bear.

"I am so glad that you are up, honey!" Annabelle exclaimed when she saw her daughter and went over to kiss her on the cheek. Hayley asked, "Where is Dad?" "He will come downstairs in a couple of moments. He has the meeting." "Of course, that meeting." Hayley sat down with her mother and asked, "What's it about?" Her father came down the stairs, trying to put on his watch on his left hand, saying, "It's about the unsuspected murder of a past colleague of mine, Casper Jordan. He was found late last night dead in his house. He has clearly been shot but there has been no clue in that house, no fingerprints no nothing to determine who it was. "That's terrible!" Hayley said. "Not so terrible, my dear. In this business, these kinds of things do happen." "What? You just kill each other?" "Hayley, there is no proof that a member from our board has been behind this." "But you both know who I suspect."

"Watch the way you speak, missy. Mikael Mikaelson has done some good for this town. He and his family made it better. I surely hope that they continue to do so and get the awards that they deserve." Annabelle said and it angered Jack a lot. He could not stand Mikael but of course kept that secret in the family. "May I remind you what a slime ball Mikaelson really is? The whole lot of them! They are all slime balls." "That's the business, dear. We are corrupted people in a corrupted city. What would you expect? You would have done the same thing if you had the chance to make your family greater in this business than any other." Jack groaned. "I would have never done the things that Mikael had." "I am not so sure about that. You have to work harder to prove me wrong." The woman went back to what she was doing, knitting with a confident smile on her face as Jack huffed in disappointment. Hayley stood up and helped her father arrange his tie. "Dad, do you remember the reason that you wanted to get into this secret business and make more money?"

Jack gritted his teeth and whispered, "For your grandmother, I know." "It's been eight years now, Dad. It's been eight years since she died of cancer. No money in the world could have saved her life. What are you still doing? Why do you keep doing it illegally? Making money, I mean." The tie was made perfectly and Jack picked up his briefcase. "Because it has become an addiction that I am not proud of. Life is hard, Hayley and when you find a way to make money easier and faster, even though it's illegal, you can't just stop and move on with your life. I am trying to get us the best possible alliances and resources to sustain us as a family. I will make sure that you will receive the best education possible, and a good job. Being in this Council means having access to things other people don't, and it's a great opportunity you can't just let go of."

"So we are going to be doing this for the rest of our lives?" Hayley asked in a whisper. Jack sighed and kissed her forehead. "It has become a very secret family business, honey. I wish I can tell you more but I can't. I don't want you to get too much involved in this yet. I want you to have a normal teenage life." "I am 22, Dad. I am so not a teenager anymore." "And you got your college degree. Now you are free to do whatever you want in life. It's your choice." Hayley thought hard about what she was going to do. She graduated from Harvard Medical School. She has always wanted to be a doctor and felt that this was the perfect choice for her, but now, she was not so sure anymore. "You are a Marshall. The world out there is dangerous for a person like you, so…" Jack pulled out a pistol and handed it to her. Hayley's eyes widened. "I am not going to use something like this." "You won't have a choice if you God forbid become a target. The rule in this business is to shoot the guy before he shoots you first." "Dad, I don't even know how to use a gun." Hayley said, putting it on the table just as Jack left for his meeting.

…

"And again!" Mikael called out in the training room as he watched Finn lift weights. He had been putting a lot of pressure on him because their mother found out about how they killed Casper the other night. Finn did his best to lift the weights being given to him by his father and knew that it wasn't in his best interest to just drop it and refuse to go any longer. He needed to keep lifting weights. Elijah was practicing his knife skills on some dummies laid out for him. Mikael had so many that Esther had no idea where to put them all. The best money could buy for his sons. Kol hadn't been the same since last night. He had a huge hangover and he was pissed off that his father didn't let him spend the night with a couple of girls. He grabbed himself a couple of guns and started working on them, thinking about the proper structure.

Klaus was in a good mood to fight that morning. He had been using his gun to shoot down 50 dummies in a limited time and always aim directly for the pink dot on the dummy's head. He finished it all perfectly, that his father was once again proud of him, as he's always been. Mikael could never have enough of him. He was proud that at least one of his sons had the true proper skills of a Mikaelson and he didn't want him to have to mess this up for anything. He congratulated his boy and then remembered to ask him something. "Who were you speaking to the other night at the party, son?" Mikael asked and Klaus looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" "Your mother and I saw you speaking to someone at a long distance table. Who was it? Is it someone we know?" Klaus shrugged and said, "Just a girl. Hayley Mitchell I think it was the name." Mikael's eyes widened. Klaus never had conversation with girls. He just took them up to his bedroom, saving his precious time. "And what exactly were the two of you talking about?" Klaus chuckled and said, "She was acting out of line in front of a Mikaelson but I straightened her out and gave her a break because she had a rough night. Her boyfriend tried to rape her." "Tried?" "Yeah, I got there in time to save her." "Save her?" This didn't sound like Klaus to Mikael at all. Klaus was careless outside of his work in the Mafia. He didn't care about no one but his siblings and his parents.

"Since when do you just help girls without wanting something in return, Niklaus?" Mikael suddenly asked and Klaus rolled his eyes. "Father, she was just a pissed off girl who clearly had no intention of sleeping with anyone last night after what happened, especially not me, if that's what you're thinking. She had her own problems and I had mine." Kol chuckled from the distance, hearing every single word of the conversation. "Nik couldn't get a chic in bed? She must have been way out of your class, right Nik?" Klaus turned around at that moment and aimed the gun towards him and shot. Kol moved out of the way and looked at his brother in shock. "You could have killed me, you bastard!" Klaus laughed this time. "Better watch what you're saying next time or I really won't miss." Finn began laughing too and Mikael gave him more weights to keep him occupied, still mad at him for presumably telling Esther.

Klaus started shooting more dummies and stopped when he felt his father watching him. "What?" he asked and Mikael shook his head. "I've just been thinking about the name Hayley." Klaus groaned, thinking that they had moved on from the subject but clearly hadn't. "The name is not uncommon, Father." "But it's not common around here either." "Okay, I want to finish my training and I thought you said you were going to that meeting." "What's with the snap, boy? I was just acting like a concerned father." "Concerned about what? I am not going to see that girl again. Big deal! It's not like I care. You don't have to worry about anything. It was one night." Mikael nodded and went to pick up his bag. "I'm leaving now and putting Niklaus in charge of the training." Elijah stepped up. "What about me, Father? I'm the oldest. Don't you think I could try leading the training for once?" he asked and Mikael glared at him. "I said Niklaus!" Without saying another word, Mikael left the room and the brothers looked at one another. Klaus tried to avoid Elijah's gaze as he continued training, knowing how pressured he felt.

…

Sophie had invited Davina at the nearest coffee shop near their houses. Sophie was laughing and saying, "This cute guy totally asked me out yesterday." Davina looked a little pissed off. "And? Did you say yes?" "No." "Good." Davina said quickly and drank her cup of coffee. Sophie put her hand on Davina's and smiled gently. "Little D, I know that you somehow had the impression for a long while that there might be something between me and Kaleb but there isn't, really." "Why not? The two of you would be perfect together. I am your absolute shipper. Why don't you want to get together with him?" "Davina, I don't know how many times I must tell you. I have been searching for something in him, a spark, other than our friendship and there was nothing romantic there. There was nothing. I wanted to find myself with him but I can't do that in a romantic way. You have to understand that. True love means more than that. Frankly, I don't even know what it means and how you find true love but you don't know either. Kaleb and I have made a promise to one another to remain friends forever. Becoming a couple is going to ruin the friendship I have with him and you know I don't have many friends." Sophie explained to her. Davina remained silent for a couple of moments.

"How is your mother?" Davina finally asked her. Sophie groaned. "A pain in the ass as always and I have my sister, once again proving around the place how better she is as a daughter than I am. I don't know what it is with her and this entire sibling rivalry thing. Before, we used to be best friends. Now, we have nothing left and she hates my guts. I don't know what to say, really. I am more shocked about this than you think. I have started liking the house better when Jane Ann is not around. It gets better. I have all the time to myself. Are your parents at that meeting?" Sophie asked and Davina nodded. "They just left. I wonder what the big deal is." "It's about that guy that dropped dead in his own house. Must have been murdered by someone. Thank God that I am well protected." Sophie looked around to make sure no one was watching and pulled out two guns that she had kept in her purse and showed them to Davina. "The latest model. If anyone tries to get to me, they'll have to pay the price."

Davina admired Sophie's life style. Her family was in the Mafia and she was proud of it. Also, she was kind of a flirter and would be interested in any guy as long as it was not Kaleb. That is why Davina liked her and Kaleb together. He brought out a different side of her, a side of her that she rarely saw. "You should have invited me to the graduation party. I would have been there, I swear I would have." Sophie moaned as she thought about it and Davina patted her hand. "Don't worry. I am just happy that I got it over with. I have other things that I should be worrying about now, like whether or not I could ever get a guy to be interested in me." "Why wouldn't they? You're beautiful, young and smart and now that you've graduated, there will be tons of guys groveling in front of you to take them out." "I am not you, Sophie."

"True, but it wouldn't hurt to try to be more like me. Try to get some of those weapon skills that you possess deep down. You will impress someone in no time." "I don't think so. I am still very much a virgin and…I have nothing that a guy would really go for. I am shy and I am not spontaneous as you are, Sophie." "So, that is why you want to see me paired up with Kaleb right? Because you want me with a guy that loves me for me and not because I am hot or anything, right?" "Yes. That's what I want for myself. Of course, you realize that with our parents' business, the chances of us getting some sweet and cute guys are limited. The family name says it all." Sophie shrugged. "If a man doesn't want me for who I am, then the hell with him. I like the family business and I intend on keeping it going after my parents back out." "The same cannot be said about me." "What do you mean? Haven't your parents talked to you about this yet?" "My father thinks that I don't possess the proper qualities to take his place in the Mafia board later on." "If you have money, you can do anything. You bribe the police, bribe the government, and make out with some cute detectives to get them off your backs…" Davina's eyes widened and she barked up a laugh. "You would actually do that?" "What? Make out with a total stranger? Yeah, I would. If it means I can get him to leave me alone and protect my business, I would do it in a heartbeat. That's one of the advantages of not getting married. You can do this for as long as you want and not feel guilty about cheating on your husband." Davina put down her coffee and her hand was up in the air. "You're so weird Sophie…but that is what I like about you." "Dido." Sophie said with a smile on her face.

…

Mikael entered the building with the two bodyguards following behind him. This was supposed to be a secret meeting. No one must actually see the families gathering for discussion. He opened the door and there was revealed a wide and round table with all the members of the Mafia board already waiting for him. Mikael stepped inside and took a seat, staring at them all. Jack Marshall, Nina and David Claire, Kieran O'Connell, Robert and Mika Deveraux were waiting just for him to arrive. The seven members were now in session and Mikael was looking closely at each and every one of them. They weren't allies, but that was what he wanted them to become. "Welcome, partners!" he called out and Kieran scoffed. They weren't partners, not in the least. Mikael clapped his hands together. "It brings me such great joy to see you here. We haven't had such a meeting of brotherhood for a very long time." "Why did you call us Mikael? Get to the point. I don't have all day." Jack Marshall called out with his hands wrapped around his chest and a frown on his face. Mikael returned the frown and cleared his throat.

His bodyguards had mobilized behind him. "I see that someone here is a bit impatient. You look well, Jack. I haven't seen you lately." "I've been busy. I have a family to take care of." "I have a family too and I see to do a much better job at taking care of mine than you take care of yours." Jack growled and wanted to speech up when Nina interrupted and put her hand up, a little habit that both she and her daughter, Davina had. "I would like you to determine the requirement of our presence today, Mikael. What do you want from us?" "I want to discuss the sudden murder of a dear friend of ours, Casper Roland." "Why? So you would have a chance to gloat on how viciously you killed one of ours?" Jack asked and David put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "That is a very serious accusation, my friend. I hope you have proof." "Oh, I will get proof soon enough…friend!" "500,000 dollars I have lost, Jack. That kind of money that I needed for my family. The money that was not just taken from me, it was taken from all of us. All of us who had gone through dark and dirty places to get it in our hands. Casper Roland knew the location of the money. Why would I kill him if I want to know where it is? Why would I kill my one chance to get my money back?" Mikael asked with a grin on his face.

They all looked at one another. Even Jack acknowledged that he had a point. Mikael wouldn't just waste away the one chance to get what he wants and he knows just how much he wants that money back into his vault. He had worked too hard for it, even though he was a millionaire. There was a knock on the front door and Mikael had sent his bodyguards out to get it. In two minutes the men were back downstairs with frightened expressions on their faces. "Cops. They are here to investigate the premises, hoping to find something that will lead them to who killed Casper Roland." Mikael got chills running up his spine but he wouldn't let the others see that he was nervous. "Send them away and ask them to come back another time. This is private property. It's my building!" Mikael demanded but his bodyguards didn't move. "They want to ask you a couple of questions about the murder. In fact, they said they want to speak to all the people in this building." Kieran stood up all on his own and went to the door. "I am the priest of this town; I'll take care of it. This meeting is not over." He told the rest and left.

…

Hayley and her mother were knitting together when the doorbell was rung and Annabelle looked at her daughter. "That must probably be your father. I guess the meeting was cut short. Get that, will you, Hayley?" She nodded and went to answer the door, her mouth dropping when she saw who it was. "Jackson!" she exclaimed, surprised and Annabelle came to the door, hearing the name. Hayley hadn't told her parents the truth at all about the other night. She had left out the part that Jackson drunk tried to rape her. She also lied to her father, telling him she didn't meet a Mikaelson at the party when in fact, she did. Annabelle still looked a little pissed but whispered, "I will leave you two to talk." Jackson nodded and entered the house, Hayley closing the door behind her and crossing her arms over her chest. "Let's go to my room. It is soundproof." She finally told him to break the awkward silence. Jackson nodded and followed her upstairs. Hayley had put a pepper spray near her bed just in case he wanted to try something.

"What did you come here to talk about?" she asked him and Jackson tilted his head to one side. "I want you back." He finally said and it took Hayley off guard. "I beg your pardon?" "I said that I want us to get back together. I want to forget all about last night and start fresh, Hayley. We have a too big connection to just throw it all away." He took her hands in his and Hayley looked down at them in shock. "I don't think that is going to happen." "Why not?" "You tried to rape me, Jackson!" "I was drunk." "That is no excuse. You have been angry about me refusing to sleep with you from the beginning. You have this issue that you just can't stand to have a normal relationship without any sex. I told you that I was not feeling up to it and you refused to listen to me." "I am listening to you now. Give me another chance." "After what you said on the phone, I don't think so." "I wasn't thinking last night when I called you either. I still have a huge hangover." "Then maybe you should go home and take care of that." Jackson pushed away her hands and took a couple of steps back. "Shows how much you really cared about us. You are willing to throw everything away we had just like that."

Hayley was exasperated. She called for her father's bodyguards who were at her disposal when he was not home. "Please take this gentleman away from here. Get him to go home, please." She then turned to Jackson and whispered, "Jackson, I'm sorry. What did you did last night was sort of a wakeup call for me. I am not ready. I don't know when I will be and when it happens for the first time, I want it to be with the right person and as I sat last night and thought, I realized that you are not that special someone. What we had was great. But it's not something that would last." The two men pulled on his arms but he shook them off and left the room, thundering down the stairs and leaving the place. "We'll make sure he will not disturb you again, Ms. Hayley." One of the bodyguards told her and she nodded.

Annabelle came up the stairs at that moment. "Hayley, what is going on here?" "It's fine, Mom. Jackson is out of my life for good now." She sighed and plopped down on the bed next to her daughter and caressed her face. "I don't understand you. Jackson was so sweet and kind to you. He was perfect. Why did you let him go?" "You don't know the whole story, Mom. But it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that letting him go was the right thing to do because I know deep inside, he is not the one for me." Annabelle still had a hard time believing her daughter. "Hayley..." "I can't just take him back after what he tried to do with me. If he weren't..." Hayley stopped herself before she could actually say Klaus' name. She didn't want to explain the whole situation to her mother. "If who...?" "It's no one, Mom. Let it go, please."

…

Kieran O'Connell came back in the room with a smile on his face. "I got rid of them." "And that's why I like you this much." Mikael commented and Kieran sat back down, returning the smirk. "How is the economy?" Mikael suddenly asked and they all looked at one another. Jack sighed and looked at him sternly. "Our economy in this business hadn't been given the chance to rise. We are going down really fast and the fact that you lost those 500,000 dollars makes it even worse." "For the last time, that cash was stolen from me and I promise you that my sons and I are going to do whatever it takes to get it back." "It doesn't matter what happened. What matters is that if we don't get it back soon, this business will fall splattered on the ground. I await a solution from you, Mikael because I don't think this board is willing to wait for you and your sons to just get the money back. It could take ages and we can fall in debts."

Jack was very straight forward. Mikael was looking at them all and Mika Deveraux whispered in a quieter tone, "Mikael, you have been elected president of this board. You run this business for far longer than us. We are not the only ones that can lose everything. You can lose everything too and with such a big family to raise, I don't think you can afford that." David Claire also spoke up. "Don't forget that the government can find easily some motives to get us in prison if we have no money to keep ourselves away from the trouble. Money means everything right now. There is no time to waste." Mikael thought really hard…and a light bulb lightened inside of his head as he looked over at them all. "An alliance between us all is to be made then. We are going to have no choice but to work together and take care of one another as partners." Jack laughed. "And I suppose that we are just going to have to trust you on that?" "I mean everything I say. An alliance to be made and sealed…in marriages." Mikael continued.

…

Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Finn had left the training room and Esther had put the maids to offer them beverages for their hard work. "I am very proud of you, my four big men." Esther said kissing her sons on the cheeks. She loved them very much. Rebekah came through the door at that moment and looked at how her mother was kissing the pants off of Kol and she started to giggle. "Rebekah, where have you been all this time. You left the house." Esther said and put her hands on her hips. Rebekah shrugged. "Do I have to have a reason for leaving the house?" she asked and Esther nodded. "Yes, you do. Your father is not going to be happy to hear about this." "Well no one said that you have to tell him, Mom. You are not his slave, you are his wife." With that, Rebekah headed upstairs and Esther was shocked by her attitude.

Elijah put a hand on his mother's shoulder. "She must be going through a hard time." "Yes, I know but I wonder why." Klaus had noticed Rebekah sneaking around lately and it made him think about something that he didn't want to think about: Rebekah having a secret affair behind their father's back. He looked pensive when his mother snapped him out of it, asking him if he wanted something to drink.

…

"What do you mean by marriage, Mikael?" Daniel Claire asked him, fiddling with his hands. Mikael leaned back into his chair and grinned. "I have four sons. Four sturdy, rich, powerful and handsome sons that I am proud of. They have all come of age. It is time for them each to have a bride. You all have daughters of age, ready to be wed. An alliance in which we throw our children into marriage and unite our families. We can all be together as one and take care of our business this way." Mikael explained and Jack exclaimed, "You want us to sell our daughters to your sons for this business?" "Not to sell, but to give their hands in marriage to my sons. I believe it'll be the best solution we have." The rest of the members looked at one another.

"Come on, Jack! I believe we can make this work. You have a fine daughter yourself. I heard all about her, a bit shy to go out into public but she is recalled to be one of the most beautiful women in New Orleans. What was her name again? Hattie?" "Hayley!" Jack told him, firmly and Mikael thought about it for a moment. "Hayley." He whispered again. _"What?" Klaus asked and Mikael shook his head. "I've just been thinking about the name Hayley." Klaus groaned, thinking that they had moved on from the subject but clearly hadn't. "The name is not uncommon, Father." "But it's not common around here either."_ Mikael grinned as he thought about the memory. "I wonder…" "Wonder what?" Jack asked, impatient. Mikael looked back, snapping out of his thoughts. "I wonder if you all agree to this arrangement." "We will need time to think." Robert Deveraux said and Mikael laughed. "Bobby, there is no time to waste. You all must give me the answers right here and right now."

…

Camille was playing with the bullets that she took out of her gun, sitting on the sofa when she heard her uncle come in and she jumped up to greet him. "Put those away." He said at once, without greeting her in return. Camille rolled her eyes but did as she was told. She pushed the book she was reading under the table so that Father Kieran wouldn't see it. She knew the annoyance he felt whenever he saw her reading or playing her music with the violin, instead of practicing her fighting skills. "So, what happened at the meeting? Is it something that I should know about?" she asked as she propped herself against the table in the kitchen. For the first time in his life, Kieran looked over at his niece with a look of fear in his eyes at what her reaction might be. "Well…" he began.

 **A/N: I decided to stop here with the chapter. So, Mikael proposing his boys to marry the girls of the other Mafia families. This should be interesting. In fact, this is the major plot of this story. These marriages. Thank you for supporting this story and let me know what you like about this chapter.**

 **The reactions of the girls will be shown in the next chapter and the boys' reaction as well.**

 **Don't forget to leave a review and comment. Thank you guys!**


	4. It Is The Family Way

**Previously in Corrupted Souls 24/7, we had more information given on Hayley and her family, as well as the relationship the Mikaelsons have with one another. Leaving it off, with a proposal from Mikael to officially ally their families through their childrens' marriages and create a powerful alliance which will work together to get back the money lost.**

* * *

 **PLOT: After learning of the plan that her uncle has set upon with the Mafia Board, Camille rushes to Marcel for comfort as he lets her in on his known feelings for someone else entirely. The reactions from his sons send Mikael over the edge, as Rebekah supports her brother, Niklaus, with the meaning of having a woman in his life, as his own. Protestations arise in the Deveraux family, when Sophie meets with Davina to discuss the alliances and what that would mean for her and Kaleb. After another struggle and deciding to give Jackson another chance, Hayley receives a message from her father that changes her life forever.**

* * *

A powerful storm had started, one which was quite unexpected for this day as at the Marshall mansion, Annabelle ended the call with her husband and took a seat in the living room, watching the maid knit again, like she always did on such an afternoon. Their eyes met for a moment and the maid whispered, "Is everything alright, ma'am? Do you need me to bring you anything?" Annabelle cleared her throat and shook her head, standing up and going to her daughter's room. How could her husband do this? How could he accept such an offer? How could she ever persuade her daughter to do the right thing for her family? She opened the door and smiled as she saw Hayley dancing, with her headphones plugged into her IPhone, and into her ears. She pulled the phone from her and stopped the music, making Hayley frown as she pulled out her headphones. "What is going on now? Aren't you supposed to knock before coming into my room?" Her mother smiled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear. I just wanted to talk to you about something." Hayley rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed. "If this is about Jackson, trust me, Mom that I have made the right decision. I will no longer be seeing him."

For that one moment, Annabelle couldn't have been happier to hear that from her daughter as she took a seat right next to her. "Are you sure about that? I mean, you have been in love with this man for so long, honey. He made you feel safe in an unsafe world for a girl like you. Your feelings for him cannot just disappear overnight and you know that." Hayley smiled and agreed. "Fair enough, Mom, but it is possible to move on from him if I find myself another guy to hang out with." Annabelle bit her lip and whispered, "That might be sooner than you think." "What?" "Hayley, are you sure that you wish to just hop from one boyfriend to another? Don't you wish for something more serious in your life?" "Something which is more serious than having a man you love and who loves you back? I don't think I do. I have been stuck in this house for as long as I can remember because you and Dad have always refused to let me out in public or include me in anything that has to do with the Mafia."

"We have been doing that for your own protection all along, my dear and I hope that in time, you will find a way to understand that. We want what is best for you and the job in which your father is implicated must not affect your own life." "He told me that he was doing this out of necessity. It's been years and he has transformed into a puppy for the likes of Mikael and his family. He is no longer the man that I used to call Father. Jackson made me feel like I belong in this world. Like you said, Mom, he made me feel safe the way no one has ever made me feel. I think it's not going to be easy to move on…" She stopped talking as she saw the look on her mother's face. She recognized that look at once. "Mom, what's going on? Don't tell me that you are upset because you want to see me back with Jackson." Annabelle shook her head at once and replied softly, "Actually, no. I think, I have changed my mind. I am glad that you have decided to let him go and move on with your life." Hayley smiled, "Why? Is there something you're not telling me? Is it about Dad? The Mafia?" Hayley was catching up quickly to the way her mother was starting to act uncomfortable in her room.

"I have just received a call from your father." Annabelle told her and Hayley's ears perked up as she was now intrigued. "And what has happened? Has he found out what happened to Casper Roland? Did Mikael truly kill him?" Her mother immediately put a finger to her lips and closed her eyes saying, "You must not speak such things anymore, Hayley. Even walls have ears and you must remember the dangers that come when being involved in the Mafia." "It never stopped Dad from talking badly about Mikael before. What changed?" she asked her. "Mikael needs the 500.000 $ lost, Hayley. The board needs it or we shall all be bankrupted and having to compete with the other Mafia clans from other states in America." "Mikael wants the money for his own selfish needs. He doesn't care about the rest of the families. No one should have appointed him the President of the Board." "Either way, without that money, we are all doomed to fail the business, which is why Mikael proposed an alliance at the meeting." Hayley's eyes widened. "An alliance like in blood? A true alliance between all families?"

Annabelle nodded. "Yes, and there is only one way for this alliance to work. We must all become a one connected family." Hayley frowned and shook her head. "You lost me there. I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Annabelle took her daughter's hands in hers and whispered, "Since you have finished college early, I think it is time for you to begin your own life and your father had only accepted Mikael's deal to offer you a better life now. You need to be well-provided for and you need to know that it is the right time to leave the family nest." "Mother, I swear I can't understand what you're saying. What deal did Dad make with Mikael?" She took a deep breath before finally saying, "Your father promised your hand to one of Mikael's sons." Hayley's eyes widened for a moment before whispering, "What? What do you mean?" "This type of alliance always helps families in need, Hayley and your father thinks that if you marry a Mikaelson, you will be secured for life, having Mikael as a father-in-law. He will protect you and he will keep our family close to him too. Allying with the Mikaelsons means never having to worry about anything else ever again and we will take back the 500.000 $ stolen from our community."

Hayley was lost for words when Annabelle tried to reach out to her and she pulled away at once. "Father sold me for one of their little deals?" "Of course not. Don't think of it that way." "I am not going to have an arranged marriage, Mother and that is final. I can't believe that you think you have the right to decide my future for me. I want to choose my husband. He is not going to be given to me as if my life has absolutely no meaning. I will not marry a man I don't know and especially not a Mikaelson!" Hayley made her point clear, as she took her jacket and started running towards the exit of this home. "HAYLEY!" Annabelle called out after her but the girl would not stop. She knew what she needed to do. "Hayley, there is a storm out there!" the maid called out but Hayley just continued running. There was only one way to stop such a terrible thing from happening. She stopped in front of his home and knocked on the door. It was him who opened it and he looked bewildered as she flung her arms around him and whispered, "Jackson, I am so happy to see you."

…

"Marriage?" Camille whispered in shock as her uncle nodded. "Yes, marriage. I do not know how you are going to feel…" "I am not going to feel anything, because I am not going to marry anyone." Kieran's eyes widened at the nerve this girl had. "I am offering you a great opportunity. You told me that you wanted to have a life in the Mafia." "No. I told you that I wanted to be involved in this business. I told you that I am tired of serving tables and living around here as a bartender while you get to make all the choices for this family, Uncle Kieran. I want to be involved in the Mafia, yes, but that is not going to be my entire life. I want to do more than that. I want to read literature. I want to practice my violin…" Kieran chuckled and shook his head. "Still as stubborn as your mother has always been. Why can't you just find something relevant to do? You decided to stay here. Literature is not the kind of future for you, that will cover up your expenses and as for your violin…You should know better than to practice something that your sister has already mastered."

Cami's eyes widened in shock as she thought long and hard about her uncle's words. Once again…she was succumbed to nothing, compared to her sister, Gia, the perfect girl her parents had raised. But she was tougher than this. She tried to hold back her tears as she looked into her uncle's eyes and whispered, "Practicing the violin is a passion for me, as it has always been for Gia." "Yes, but she has mastered it. Have you?" "Excuse me for actually working for a living and not having time to practice, as opposed to my pampered sister." Kieran sighed and nodded. "I will not have you bad-mouthing your sister in front of me, especially after all of her accomplishments. Cami…you are set to be married to a Mikaelson as soon as possible." "What if I refuse?" "There shall be no refusal and if indeed, it seems that you are unfit to prove yourself for this family, I will have no problem telling Mikael that I have decided another niece of mine is to get married to one of his sons." Cami's mouth parted as she realized that he was talking about Gia, of course.

"You would agree to humiliate me like that?" she asked him and Kieran frowned. "I do not wish to humiliate the girl that I accepted under my roof, but if she is going to do something reckless which is going to affect my business, then I will have no choice but to bring Gia into the picture. Either you marry a Mikaelson son or she will." He showed her the phone he was holding and Cami groaned under her breath, touching her forehead with her hand. What was she going to do? She couldn't have herself degrade even lower by refusing and having Gia come back into town to fill in the job for her. She sighed for a moment as the image of Marcel came into her mind. If he would have accepted her, she wouldn't have needed to make such a difficult decision. "I need you to give me your answer now, please." "Fine. I'll get married." Cami finally told him and he smiled, putting the phone away and whispered, "I am glad you have proven yourself smart enough to make the right decision. He stepped over and pressed a kiss on her forehead, as she let go of a couple of tears.

He pulled away almost at once, and Cami was once again feeling the need to have arms wrapped around her, consoling her and telling her that everything was going to be okay. Besides, she was not the only girl in this situation. There were four brothers, which means there were other three unfortunate girls out there, being pushed into this. Cami covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "Davina." The poor girl had just graduated from high school. She was anything but ready for something like this. Being forced into a marriage was the worst thing that could happen to her as such a fragile moment in her life.

Camille knocked on the door and waited for Marcel to open up. When he did, she could see a sad look on his face. She did her best to smile as she whispered, "What? Unhappy to see me?" Marcel leaned his head over the door and whispered, "We really need to talk, and you know that right?" "Yes, we do. You are never going to believe that happened to me just moments ago. My uncle has agreed to a stronger alliance between all the families of the Mafia Board. I am set to be married to a Mikaelson, as well as the other girls of the people in that Board." Marcel's mouth parted in shock for a moment and he pulled her inside. "You are lucky that my parents are not home. They wouldn't have enjoyed such news." "Why? Because they are not part of the Board?" Camille asked him. "Yeah, you can say that. I can't say that it bothers me but for them, it's a downright kick in the head from them Mikaelsons."

She looked around his room with a smile, and saw posters of all of his favorite rappers. Pulling her blonde hair to her side, Cami turned to Marcel and whispered, "It is a shame that I am getting married now, isn't it?" Marcel smirked and said, "You were hoping that I would somehow find a way to get you out of this mess?" "It would have been sweet of you to do so, yes." Marcel shook his head and told her, "I am not sure what else I have to do to prove to you that these is nothing what you think is between us, Cami. I do care for you, but I am in love with somebody else entirely." The blonde girl felt as if it was someone who had kicked her in the groin at hearing that. "In…love?" she breathed and he nodded, with a sad smile. A frown appeared on her face as she told him, "You never thought that it would be wise of you to tell me before I kissed you yesterday at the bar?" "Hey, this relationship I have with this girl is a secret and that is why I am not even going to tell you her name."

"Secret? Why would you keep it a secret? Are you ashamed of having feelings for her? Are you ashamed of her?" She was kind of hoping to put him a not so good spot, for him to realize that maybe the two of them did have a future together if he gave her a chance. "No. But it is a girl who cannot be seen with someone like me, or we would both have to pay for it." Cami smiled and shook her head. "I don't believe in that kind of love. When you love someone, it should be special and you are not supposed to be afraid of what the world might think about you and the choices you make, Marcel." "Cami, we have been friends for a very long time. I really don't want to have to end that friendship with you." "I hope you don't." "Then please stop trying to analyze my relationship with Re…the girl I am seeing." He stopped himself before he could say her name, even though Cami caught the first two letters. There was silence between them for a moment before Marcel said, "Just get on with your life and I will with mine. You O'Connells got yourself in some terrible shit the moment you got yourselves in this business with Mikael Mikaelson. Thankfully, my parents haven't."

"Okay. Fine. I can see how much you care for me as a friend to neglect me when I am forced to do something against my own will. This is how you want us to remain friends." Marcel ran his hand over his mouth in frustration. "And how much did you care about our friendship to have you ruin it with a one night stand? And then you started stalking me like a crazy person." "What?" "You think I don't get what you're trying to do here? You're trying to get me away from the girl I am seeing, suing the current situation." "I am trying to receive comfort from the only person who I thought still cares about me. I guess I was wrong." "Cami, come on…stop playing that card on me." "I am not playing anything. You just refused to see all this time that I have fallen in love with you." His mouth parted as he whispered, "I have known all along, but I could never find the courage to tell you until now that I have never felt romantically attracted to you." Her eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded, turning around. She left his room and his house, slamming the door behind her. What was she going to do now? How was she going to cope with this new change in her life? The only reason she had accepted this proposal was so that Gia would not make her look like the weakest sister in the family once again. She was a strong woman, she could get through this. And who knew? Maybe this marriage would be the perfect thing to help her get over her feelings for Marcel.

…

Sophie took a sip of her tea, as she sat down at Rousseau's. She had thought about taking a job at this place, and earning more money through collage but she knew that it would be a little too late now. What her parents had told her when they came home from the meeting really shocked her. She sighed and thought about her conversation with her sister. They had not seen one another for months, as Jane Anne had decided to start working in some sort of secret agency outside of town. She wouldn't tell anyone what this was all about, and Sophie tried to act like the good sister and not question her so much. Jane Anne was supportive of her parents' choice for her younger sister.

 _"It is the only way. It is the family way, Sophie, please try to understand that." "I am going to get married to a man I don't love. How is that supposed to be something right for me? I do have a say in this, don't I?" she asked her and then her father intervened. "No, you do not. We are not sure which Mikaelson son you are yet to marry but let me assure you that all of them have their successes in the business and all of them have the ability to protect you from harm. If you are not going to do this for yourself, then do it for us, for the parents who raised you, fed you and put a roof on top of your head, Sophie!" The way her father snapped at her, scared her a little, and with Jane Anne's influence, she started thinking about the positive aspects of having a Mikaelson as a husband._

 _"Okay. If it helps the family and offers me a good future, then I guess I can accept a loveless marriage." Sophie rolled her eyes making her mother scowl at her. "I do wish you would start acting like a mature and proper lady, just like your sister. It is not very proper of you, Sophie." "And what else is new around here, Mom? You have always complained about me, my hobbies, my friends, my interests…let me live my life the way I want to live it and if getting married is what I need to get out of this nuthouse, then I sure as hell want to get married as soon as possible." "Sophie!" Jane Anne snapped at her. Sophie pointed a finger at her sister. "You don't get to come home after all these months and tell me what I should and shouldn't do, got it?"_

The truth was that she was not actually upset at the way her parents had decided to accept Mikael's proposition. She was more upset with her inability to tell Kaleb about this. She startled when she saw his charming face. He headed over to her table and took a seat right in front of her, taking her hand in his and whispering, "Hey, what are you doing here? There's a hell of a storm outside. I thought you would be staying home." She decided to get a grip and finally tell him. "Kaleb, I am not going to go home…anymore." He frowned and rubbed her palm with his thumbs, making her shiver at his touch. It was a pleasant feeling and she was smiling inside, at the care Kaleb had always offered her. They were friends for a very long time, and she knew him…she knew what his intentions were, as well as the fact that he had feelings for her. She knew how hard this news would be on him, especially since she knew Davina was right all along. She felt something for him too.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her silently, as he continued frowning. "My parents have made this deal with Mikael. Basically, I have to get married to one of his sons in a week or so, for a stronger alliance between our families." She could barely look at his face as his hands stilled and then slowly, he removed them and looked at her face for a moment before replying, "Man…I…I really don't know what to say to you." "Just tell me what you feel, Kaleb, and it will be okay, I promise you." She whispered and saw the blush creep on his cheeks, as he stood up and she stood up along with him. Their lips met before she could stop himself and Sophie kissed him with all her might, as he held her tightly. He then pulled away and whispered, "I do wish we could have done this before…" He couldn't finish and once again, Sophie could not look at him in the eyes. "It doesn't really matter now anymore, does it?" Kaleb asked her and Sophie sighed. "If I am going to get married to someone else, I guess it doesn't." These words hurt him even more as he let her go. "I guess, that's it, then. I wish you well, Sophie."

"Kaleb, wait!" Sophie called out after him but he wouldn't stop, drenched in rain, he headed back to his home. Sophie whispered, "Oh my God." As she saw Davina heading to the bar, right after Kaleb left. "Davina!" Sophie realized that the poor girl was put into this tight spot right after her graduation and pulled her in for a hug, without saying anything. The girl wept into her sweater and Sophie held onto her even tighter. "It is going to be okay. You'll see. It will be nice having a husband who can provide for you and offer you all the care and riches in the world." Davina wiped away her tears and looked at her in shock. "You agree with this arrangement?" "Yes…and that cost me what I couldn't had with Kaleb." Sophie whispered in sadness and Davina understood at once. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked and pulled her even closer. "Because for a while, I refused to believe that I had feelings for Kaleb…it seems the feelings were there all along and they were mutual, but now…we can never act upon them." "I'm so sorry." Davina whispered again and hugged her.

…

The Mikaelson mansion stood out from the rest, even under the horrifying storm, as one Mikaelson brother picked up his brush, tracing it carefully on the canvas with a smirk playing on his lips, from what he had heard from his father. A marriage of convenience. He didn't know how to feel about that. He had never had a true long-lasting relationship with any woman before. He couldn't imagine having a wife, being exclusive to someone, for the rest of his life. There was a knock on the door and Rebekah entered, the only person he ever allowed to interrupt him during his work and see his art. "I see that you are back to your usual hobbies, painting among them." Klaus sighed and whispered, "What is it that you came here for, little sister?" "What? Am I not welcome anymore?" "You are welcome. I just thought that you would find a way to sneak out of the house by now and meet up with a secret lover." Rebekah stayed silent until Klaus chuckled and whispered, "I was joking."

Rebekah sighed in relief and replied, "Wow, some jokester you have become, Nik. Now tell me…how does it feel to know that you will be married soon?" "It is nice to see that you are parading around here, joyfully, knowing that you don't have to sacrifice your happiness for your family, Rebekah." "Really? And what happiness will you be sacrificing? You will be getting married, Nik. That is not a crime. You will have a woman to cherish, and who will cherish you in return." "No woman cherishes me." He mumbled and Rebekah went behind him and rested her head on his shoulder as he painted. "Love is beautiful, Nik. You just have to believe in it. For years, you have barely spent more than a month with a woman, and you have had plenty at your feet. Is sleeping with them the only thing that matters to you?" "As I recall, I did have a relationship with a woman before, sister, I am not at all clueless of what it consists." Rebekah rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, of course, use Caroline as an example. That was not a serious relationship you had with her, Nik. The two of you have managed to wreck two beds in the time that you were together. Nothing deep, just sex, but still, I have to admit that it was a true progress for you that she lasted five months under our roof before she left you to go to Mystic Falls." Klaus remained silent as his sister continued. "I think it is a good thing that she left. She couldn't even manage to steal a kiss from you. A kiss, Nik!" "I have kissed women before, Rebekah." "Really? I have never seen you kiss any woman before, Nik. Not on the cheek, but on the lips!" "It is outrageous…" "No, it is not. I believe in true love, and you should too. You just haven't found the right woman yet. Maybe through this marriage…"

Klaus started laughing, putting down his brushing and turning around to face his little sister. "You are the one to believe in such nonsense, sister, but I do not. There is no chance to possibly find the person you are meant to be with through a marriage of convenience. It is not as if I am giving up something, though…" "Exactly! You do not have a love life, and if you keep going like this, using women for one night stands and never offering them the affection they need like a simple kiss on the lips, you will never receive the love a woman can offer you because you never let them in, Nik, and you don't let me in, either." Klaus parted his lips for a moment, wanting to say something back to her, but realized he could never contradict her. He knew it was true. He simply turned back around and resumed painting as he heard her sigh behind him. "You are my brother and you know how much I love and respect you, because you are my protector…but don't push me away when I try to find you happiness. Maybe you will learn a couple of things about love through this marriage, Nik. I really hope you do. You are the one who always complained that you can never start a family of your own. How do you plan on doing that? By sitting around in bars and waiting for women to get in your bed, one after another?"

There was continued silence, when he heard her whisper, "You are getting the chance to meet someone special now, and you may never know. You could turn out to really love her with this. I am sure she is a lovely girl. Father has always wanted you to be happy because all your life, you are the one who has always made him happy. Not Elijah, not Kol, not Finn, not even me. It is you he likes best, Nik and you know that. He will not let you down. He will offer you a good girl with whom you can start a family. You need that in your life, and you have no idea how lucky you are." She then turned around and left him with his thoughts. Thunder erupted outside, as Klaus looked at the painting he had drawn. A person in the shadows of a forest, looking out beyond…it was a lost soul, and he realized he had painted himself without even realizing it. He sighed and thought about what Rebekah said…but knew he wouldn't let a woman inside of his heart like that, especially not one with whom he was forced to marry.

…

Jackson was taken aback by the hug that came from Hayley, as she stood in front of his house. "What are you doing here?" he asked her and she simply shook her head, leaning over and pressing a firm kiss on his lips. "I want you back, Jackson." "What? Now you want me back?" he asked as he recovered from her sudden kiss. Her eyes were red from crying and he realized at once that something had happened. "What is it?" he asked her, inviting her inside. Hayley shook her head again as she closed her eyes and bit her lip. "I am to wed a Mikaelson, Jackson. My father made a deal with Mikael today, to unite our families through marriage. He wants me to marry one of Mikael's sons, an arranged marriage, through which I will be a part of that dreadful family. Jackson, I can't do that. I need you to help me." Jackson scoffed and rolled his eyes. "So that is the reason why you came here all of a sudden, unannounced and scared, right? You are terrified because you are forced into a marriage you don't want. You wouldn't be here if your father wouldn't have made that deal."

"You don't know that…" "Hayley, stop lying. I have known you for a long time, alright. I understand how you feel, but I will not be used this way." "You tried to rape me…" "But I didn't and I apologized. I don't know what the hell happened that night with me." "So, you didn't mean what you said?" "Didn't mean what?" "That you wanted me to sleep with you so you could feel like a man again?" "Of course I meant that." Hayley felt as if someone had just slapped her. "I told you that I wasn't ready and I was hoping that you loved me enough to understand that and not force me into it. How am I to know that you were really drunk that night when you forced yourself on me? How do I know that you weren't just angry?" "I was angry because of the alcohol. Can we please just drop it and get to the point here?" "No. You don't just drop things like that."

"I thought you said you wanted us to be together." He told her and stepped towards her but she took a couple of steps back. "I did. I've changed my mind now." There was a cruel laugh which escaped his lips and Hayley's face darkened at how he was taking this situation. "Do you know what love is, Jackson?" she asked him in a whisper. "Oh don't play the guilt card on me now, Hayley. You came to me to get you out of this mess not because you truly want to be with me. And what the hell do you know about love anyway? You let me go after an accident like that night, just like that, erasing every good thing that happened between us because of one mistake. Shows how superficial you were acting in this relationship." "Sleeping with someone for the first time is a big thing for me and I need to be able to share that with a man I love and him to understand and not force me into it like you did. The alcohol was talking yes, but it was saying all the things you were hiding inside yourself for the sake of us being together."

He crossed his hands over his chest and whispered, "Alright, fine. What do you want from me now?" "So you admit that it's the truth?" "I admit that I want a woman who is to give me what I want. This sex thing is the only thing that was standing between us all this time, Hayley, and maybe once you finally get it over with…maybe we will find our way back to each other because despite this disagreement, everything was going great with us. You can't deny that, and no husband of yours will ever make you feel the way you felt with me." "Don't you start that with me!" she snapped at him, warningly, shocked at how easily he could mock the terrible situation she was put in, how easily he dismissed their past love for each other. "What are you still doing here, Hayley?" he asked her. "Yeah, I am starting to wonder the same thing. Goodbye, Jackson." She couldn't help but notice a sad look in his eyes as she departed and she felt as if she was leaving part of her soul in that house.

Jackson was the first man she loved. How could she just let him go because of her father's deal? Her phone rang at that moment and she groaned when she saw her father's caller ID. "What do you want?" she snapped when she answered the call. _"Please, come home, Hayley. The storm is terrible. I suppose your mother told you what happened."_ "How could you do this to me, Dad?" she asked in a broken whisper. _"I guarantee that I accepted it with the best intentions. It will benefit our family but their too, and Mikael has even decided to match you with his favorite son."_ Hayley scoffed. "His favorite? I suppose that means I will be wed to the worst one!" _"No. I can assure you that he is well-trained, protective, quite a handsome one, if not the most handsome and he has perfect views about starting a family of his own. His name is Klaus, short for Niklaus."_ Hayley dropped the phone on the ground in shock. _"Hayley, can you hear me?"_ Her father asked through the phone, but he could no longer hear her voice. Hayley stood there paralyzed with water dripping from her hair to her face.

 **A/N: More drama to continue in the next chapter when Hayley's parents finally find out about her past encounter with Klaus and what she did. What do you think about Jackson? Do you think that Hayley will find a way to get back to him? What do you think about how Cami and Marcel ended things? Will she find out about him and Rebekah? I will be introducing Gia in this story as Cami's sister, but also someone else too…stay tuned.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews.**


	5. When You Meet Criminals

**In the previous chapter, we have been acquainted to the opinion of the girls about the marriages they are forced into, as well as the complicated thoughts Klaus has about loving a woman, something he had never done before, but after Rebekah's speech, realized he must learn how.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Just because the police have not found evidence about who could have possibly killed Casper Roland, that does not mean that they are not looking and in this chapter, Mikael gets questioned, leading him to believe that someone is conspiring against him. Jack and Annabelle have a mature discussion with Hayley about her future as a Mikaelson wife, as she contemplates on what it would mean to face Klaus again. Rebekah and Marcel have another secret meeting. After a Mikaelson family dinner, Esther is face with a dilemma, as Mikael rushes her to the nearest hospital. At last, we experience the first confrontations between the future weds.**

* * *

The phone had dropped from her hand, as she gazed into nothing. _"Hayley, can you hear me?"_ Her father asked through the phone, but he could no longer hear her voice. Hayley stood there paralyzed with water dripping from her hair to her face. She knew that her father would be worried, but she simply couldn't find the strength to pick up the phone from the ground. Biting her lip, she started thinking about what her father had told her a while before. _"I can assure you that he is well-trained, protective, quite a handsome one, if not the most handsome and he has perfect views about starting a family of his own. His name is Klaus, short for Niklaus."_ She couldn't believe that it was him. When her mother told her that she was going to marry a Mikaelson son, it never dawned upon her that she had even spent some time with one of them and had lied to her parents about meeting either of them. It certainly was the Klaus who had saved her that night from Jackson.

 _Hayley opened her eyes and saw Jackson being punched to death by another man. She gasped as she saw Jackson standing up with a bloody nose and running away. She was trembling as she looked at the man whose knuckles were bleeding. "Don't worry about it, love. I'm used to it." He said when he saw her concern. She looked back up into his eyes and saw them glimmering blue. "Are you alright?" he asked and she nodded quickly, getting back inside. She wanted to get away from everyone and didn't know why she went back inside when she felt someone pull her back. It was him again and he had a smirk on his face. She suddenly recognized him as one of the Mikaelson boys. She didn't think that he recognized her and she didn't plan on telling him who she was. "Allow me to introduce your savior, Niklaus Mikaelson." He said and pointed at himself, before holding out his hand to her. Hayley took it, nervously and whispered, "Hayley M…" she stopped and then whispered "Mitchel. Hayley Mitchel."_ She gasped as she realized the way she had lied. How could she see this man again after she even lied to him about who she truly was?

 _"HAYLEY!"_ her father's voice rang through the phone and Hayley finally found the courage to pick it up off the wet ground. Luckily, nothing bad had happened to it. "Sorry, Dad. I just have really bad connection because of this storm." She tried to explain and then she heard him sigh in relief. _"You scared me. I thought something bad had happened to you. So, please. Will you come home? Both your mother and I have many important things to tell you about these upcoming nuptials. I understand that I have pretty much messed up your entire life through this choice to side with Mikael, but just try to see this my way, please."_ "How can I see anything good coming out of this? You are asking me to get involved with the most murderous family in New Orleans." _"Honey, we cannot discuss this on the phone. It is not safe. Please, come home."_ "Curse the damn government for not making these arranged marriages illegal!" Hayley snapped and ended the call, but then bit her lip and closed her eyes, knowing that she most probably angered her father very much. What was she to say? What was she to do? She was absolutely frightened. Should she tell her parents that she had met Klaus? What would happen when she would see him again and he would find out that she was not who she said she was?

…

Mikael growled as he slammed the door shut to his home, startling Esther. "What happened?" She placed her hands on his arms, and his expression softened when he saw her. She was the reason he was doing this. The money they needed for her lung transplant…she wouldn't survive without it for much longer. He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered, "How are you feeling?" "I feel good, but also terrible that there is something bothering you. Where have you been? Supper is ready." "Police officers have stopped me in the streets, asking me all sorts of questions about Casper Roland's death. I saw the look in their eyes. They suspect me for it, and they continue to search for evidence against me. They have even started believing that my job as a lawyer is a cover." "Which it is." "Yes, but they must not know that, obviously." "But our sons cleared everything up, right?" "Yes, they are strong men and know what they need to do. I couldn't be prodder…especially of Niklaus." Esther bit her lip. "I hope that he can find happiness through this marriage. I really do. Rebekah is worried about him and I worry for him too." "As long as he has his family, power and wealth, there is nothing to worry about for him."

"What about love?" she asked him and Mikael shook his head. "Love is a weakness, Esther. Many strong men have found their weaknesses and out of all my sons, I can see Niklaus as the one who will not fall for these things. He will be the strongest man of us all." He kissed her forehead as she frowned. "Mikael, you mustn't teach him to be this cold. He should be loved by a woman, not just use them for sexual desires." He rolled his eyes and whispered, "I only ever hear you complain about Niklaus when it comes to using women for his personal needs. Have you seen Kol lately? He must have brought at least ten different women into his bed this month." Esther sighed. "Kol is younger than Niklaus, and he is not the one who you are going to put in charge of leading this family. It is not Elijah, even though he is the oldest. It is Niklaus." "Precisely the reason why he doesn't need love to woe his mind away from the important business. He shall get married to the daughter of Jack Marshall, get settled, have a child, to continue the family line and that is it." "Is that the same way you thought about me when you married me?" Esther snapped at him.

"Of course not. And I prefer of you to watch your tone around this house, woman. I have already told you that you are a weakness I love and I cannot dispose of in my life. I need you like I need air. Love is a disease which has no cure, I can assure you. But I do love you, my dear and I shall make sure that we get that money and cure you of your own disease. As for Niklaus, he is better off without love from a woman. As long as he has a family to care for him, he will be alright." "I sometimes doubt that." She mumbled as he pulled away from her and walked up the stairs to the different wings of the mansion. As it was time for supper, it was only natural for them to have dinner as a family. Klaus put down his brush and left his Art Studio at once, as per his father's wishes. Elijah put down the book he was reading, as well as Finn left the training room, after having been lifting weights. "I would advise you to take a shower. Although I do appreciate your hard work, I won't have you smelling like a pig next to your mother at the dinner table. Please, do keep in mind that any smell can cause her nausea." "Yes, father." Finn said, turning around and rolling his eyes without his father seeing him, as he stepped into the bathroom. Rebekah stepped out of her room with a smile on her face, as she placed her phone away. "Who have you been talking to?" Mikael demanded to know. A blush crept on Rebekah's face as she shook her head and whispered, "Just some friends."

Moans could be heard from Kol's room as Mikael headed over there and a frown appeared on his face, and he opened the door to reveal the image he was afraid of. Kol was laying on a naked blonde girl on his bed, as they were covered in sheets. "Father!" Kol yelled out and got off the girl, wrapping himself up in sheets, as the blonde girl blushed and covered herself up too. Mikael stood there with his hands behind his back, as Kol started explaining, "I was just…um…we were…" "I do not really care, Kol, but must I remind you that you are to be wed to one of the daughters of my business partners?" Kol sighed, "You said that this is a marriage of convenience." "Yes." "So, what is the big deal if Charlene and I have some fun…?" "It is a big deal!" Mikael snapped, coming forth in front of him and looking at him deadly in the eyes. "If you so much as dare ruin your marriage with the girl you will be wed to in a week's time, you shall be kicked out of this family's home, do you understand me?" Kol, gulped, knowing that it was never good to displease his father. "Yes, I understand." They made serious eye contact, before Mikael turned to Charlene and threw her clothes on the bed. "Get dressed and please leave my house now." The girl simply nodded, as Kol turned to his bathroom.

Mikael caught his arm and hissed, "I would have thought better of you. I am warning you, Kol…" "There is no need to warn me, Father. I am not going to ruin that marriage." "You sure as hell won't. This is an alliance we are talking about. If the marriages fail, the alliance fails, hence we will have lost the allies we would need to get that money back, which will result in your mother's death. And if something does happen, something tragic and I find you responsible…I shall bury you along with her." He let go of his arm, knowing that he had installed fear into his son, but with Kol, it was the only way to go for him to act responsible for once in his life. Mikael caught Elijah's disapproving look, and told him, "He must know how to act responsible." "I don't wish to question your methods, Father, but you have refused to warn Niklaus of his occasional one night stands. Now that he is to get married…" "Niklaus knows what he must do. He does not defy me like Kol does. I trust him." "Yes, Father." Elijah replied, silently, as he took a seat next to his mother at the table.

It was pleasant to hear about Mikael's accomplishments over at dinner and it was their tradition to talk about something they accomplished that day. It was the Mikaelson rule that no day went by without any personal achievements. Klaus talked about his art, as Elijah talked about his poetry. Finn brought pride with his strength, and Rebekah talked about her university projects, as Kol… "Nothing constructive today, I see." Mikael whispered, remembering seeing Charlene in his room. There was silence at the table as Esther had managed to comfort her husband with her soothing voice. "Just give him a chance to make you proud." Mikael didn't say anything as he carved the meat. Finally, he turned to his sons and said, "It is tomorrow when you shall meet your future brides…" But before he could finish, Esther had already collapsed and fallen off her chair.

…

Hayley was eating her supper, noticing from the look on her mother's face that was she unhappy with this situation and her father was barely showing any emotion at all. She cleared her throat, deciding to finally tell them the truth about what happened the night Jackson got drunk and tried to rape her. She didn't know if she should bring up the rape part. She knew deep down that despite all her fights with him, her feelings for Jackson were still quite strong and maybe he was right. Maybe after she had passed this difficult period of her life, they would find their way back to one another. "Is there something you wish to say?" her father asked her and she nodded, as the maid placed the desert in front of her. "Klaus Mikaelson is no stranger to me, Dad. We met before." Jack and Annabelle looked at one another in shock and then he leaned over on the table and whispered, "When did this happen? Why haven't you told me?" "It happened the night Jackson and I broke up. I was feeling lonely and somehow, he was trying to comfort me. We started talking and…that was it. I saw him again." "What did you talk about?" he demanded. "Nothing in particular, just why Jackson and I have decided to part ways."

"Have you introduced yourself to him? Does he know your name?" Hayley bit her lip, thinking quickly about lying to her father again. "I already knew who he was and I just told him my name was Hayley." She replied, and left out the part about the last name Mitchel she had invented. "Okay. Perhaps this is not such a big problem. It is odd because it seems Niklaus has not mentioned you to Mikael, so maybe neither one of them knows who you are." "Maybe..." Hayley responded and dug into her slice of the ice cream cake, with vanilla, caramel, and some M&M's on top, her favorite. Annabelle put down her spoon and told her, "You and Klaus are going to meet face to face tomorrow. All of the future brides of the Mikaelsons shall meet their grooms." Hayley felt her heart starting to beat faster and faster, due to the nervousness she was feeling. "And of course, we have spoken with Mikael and he claims that he wants you and the other girls to live under the same roof as your future husbands for this one week before getting married." Jack added. "What? Why?" "Because he wants to get to know you and he wants his sons to get to know the women they shall marry. It's very simple to understand, Hayley."

"So, this means that this will be my last night in my own home? Dad, I am not ready for this. I really can't go through…" "You must, Hayley. It is time for you to learn how to adapt in the outside world and being married to a Mikaelson will get you used to that." "Being married to a Mikaelson means having to put up with crimes and murders. They are all a bunch of lunatics, which I don't want any connection to. I still can't believe that you would do this to me. It is the worst punishment possible." "Hayley, understand for once in your life that you are no longer a little girl. You are a very smart girl, which is why you finished college earlier. You have gained more years to spend your life freely…" "I am 22 years old and I am already set to be married to someone I barely know next week. You have just ended my life, Dad and those years I gained from finishing college earlier will all go to waste. In the Mikaelson world, I will not be a wife, I will be a property." "They are not at all like that, Hayley and may I remind you, that you belong to a Mafia family as well?"

"You said it was temporary." "It is not anymore, since you are marrying Klaus Mikaelson. End of discussion." Hayley stayed silent for a moment before Annabelle told her, "And you must know that you will need to follow a set of rules when you are in that family, Hayley." "Why am I not surprised?" Hayley replied with sarcasm and Jack snapped, "Listen to your mother because this is not a joke!" Hayley stayed silent, pursing her lips as Annabelle started explaining, "No one outside of this family knows that you are not a true Marshall, especially not Mikael, Hayley, and your father and I need you to keep that a secret." Hayley's mouth parted as she asked in shock, "You are sending me into a lion's den tomorrow with a secret to keep from the most dangerous man in New Orleans and his son which I am going to marry? Are you crazy? Is this a death sentence?" Jack placed his hand on hers to calm her and said, "You know that your mother and I love you very much even though you were adopted as a baby and not grown in her womb. We have treated you as our own daughter since. To us, the fact that you do not possess the Mafia blood that runs in the family doesn't matter…but it matters to Mikael. He will not accept it and you could be given a death sentence if he finds out that we have been lying to him."

"How am I supposed to keep this secret from him? From Klaus?" Hayley asked them, in shock. "You must act like any daughter of a Mafia family would. I have asked you numerous times to learn how to shoot, Hayley, I have asked you. Why haven't you listened to me at the time?" "You kept me locked up almost my entire life, Dad. Outside of school, I never had any social life. I barely had any friends. I was lucky to even have a boyfriend until now." "I did it to protect you from the cruelties of the world, knowing that you do not have what it takes to be brutal and vengeful. My father and his family was, my grandfather was, my great grandfather before me and so on. I would have stopped after your grandmother was cured, just as I told you…but the lure is…unimaginable, Hayley. And the moment we lost your grandmother, there was a darkness that filled my soul and pulled me even deeper into this dark world. Now that I am deep into this business, I have been taken under Mikael's wing, with this alliance. If he finds out that I have allied to him and gotten his son married to a woman who does not possess the Marshall Mafia blood…our family will be ruined."

Annabelle added, "And if this happens, we are going to lose everything we hold dear, and we might all end up in prison. Mikael has too much influence over the rest of the families involved in the Mafia." "It was a mistake to put his President of the Board. Why did you do it?" Hayley asked her father. "Nobody placed him. He placed himself with his power and wealth. That is just the way it is in the Mafia business, Hayley. When allied, you are forced to trust each other, as you become one as a family. We will all be aligned not only with the Mikaelsons, but with the Deverauxs, Claires, and the O'Connells as well. We will all be united through our childrens' marriages and that means that we can take on the other families, like the ones from Mystic Falls who are out to destroy us. Please, think about this, Hayley." Hayley did think about it. She thought about it hard and she realized how much her parents asked her, but she needed to grow up and learn about the cruelties of life. Maybe her father was right. Maybe a marriage will help her get over her childhood experience and make her mature.

"I barely know things about this business, Father. Mikael and the others are going to get suspicious and what kind of Mafia daughter does not know how to use a gun?" "You will have a training room there. You can practice on your own." "On my own? To get myself killed? I don't think so. No, I am not doing it." "You will not get yourself killed. If you need step by step instructions, you can always call me and I will tell you." Hayley gasped with sarcasm. "I am allowed to call you? That is very sweet of them?" Annabelle couldn't help but smile for a while but then shook her head and whispered, "I hope that we have made ourselves clear. Not a word about your bloodline to anyone. As far as the Mikaelsons know, you are a true Marshall heiress, with Mafia blood running through your veins, do you understand me?" Hayley finally accepted and whispered, "Okay, I won't say anything to anyone."

…

"What is going on with her? What has happened?" Mikael asked the doctor in a whisper as every member of the family was gathered in the waiting room. The doctor sighed and replied, "Nothing that hasn't happened before, Mr. Mikaelson. You will need the money for that transplant…" "Why can't you make an exception?" "I'm sorry, Mr. Mikaelson but we don't do such things at this hospital. Regardless of who you may be, all of my patients have to be treated equally." Before Mikael could respond, Elijah placed a hand on his shoulder, whispering, "He is right, Father. We must wait." The doctor apologized before saying, "She must stay here overnight to keep her under surveillance, but I believe that she will be better in the morning to return home." Mikael nodded and the doctor left, as he turned to Elijah. "Have you used your resources? Have you found a lung donor? Anyone?" "It's complicated…" "You tell that to your mother, boy!" Mikael snapped and turned away from him.

Klaus, Finn and Kol were sitting on the sofa as Mikael approached them. "There is no time to waste, do you understand me? You will marry those girls in a week's time to ensure the families' alliance with us. We will have more strength and power to figure out who was behind this robbery. We need the money for the transplant as soon as possible." "We don't even have a donor." Finn told him but then pursed his lips as he saw Mikael's face. "How dare you talk back to me like that?" Klaus stood up at once and put his hand on his father's shoulder. "I think we should look at this from another angle. If we tell your partners the truth about Mother's cancer, they will be more than willing to help." "No, Niklaus. We will seem weak." "They think that you want this money back for the Board, not for our own family. What is going to happen when we do find the money and they find out that you lied?"

"Lying easily comes into this business, Niklaus and you must learn to accommodate yourself with it. I will not let anyone know of the weak link in this family. We are by far the strongest, hence you will receive the strongest wives possible. Mikaelsons stay united, always and forever is what I taught you, and you will do well to remember that. No one will know about Esther's problem until I see it fit. No one will know, not even your wives. Do you understand me?" he asked him and Klaus nodded, "Yes, Father." "Good boy. Now, we should get home. Rebekah must be worried, and your future brides are coming to the mansion tomorrow." "We have a week until the wedding." Klaus replied without any emotion on his face. "Yes, but you cannot just marry the girl. You need to get to know them and I for one, need to inspect them too. I need to make sure they are fit to be Mikaelson wives. I need to test their strength, their ration and their beauty. It is vital for this family."

The brothers watched their father leave the hospital. "I am not sure how to feel about these arranged marriages." Elijah whispered with a sigh beside Niklaus, who smirked. "I for one find it quite fascinating." "Really? I am surprised that you are not pissed, seeing that this marriage will actually force you to become loyal and faithful to your wife and renounce these meaningless one night stands of yours. It has become ridiculous, Niklaus, even for you." "Why? Because I indulge into my desires with various women?" "Precisely. From Kol, it was always expected, but from you…" "Oh come now, brother! Let's not be too hasty about this entire ordeal. You know as well as I do that you have long since had the pleasure of company of a woman. Who was the last one? Was she an O'Connell from what I remember? Gia, perhaps?" Klaus smirked as he saw that he had touched his brother's nerve. "Gia left for her studies a long time ago, Niklaus. We no longer share anything except friendship, trust and care." "Yes…and if she comes back in town, hypothetically speaking, I would just love to see how the noble brother, the knight in shining armor can resist the temptation and not cheat on his wife." Elijah's smile disappeared as it appeared on Klaus' face. "Pot calling the kettle black, Elijah."

…

She met him in their secret spot, just on the outskirts of the city in the morning when almost half of New Orleans was still asleep. Rebekah smiled as she flung her arms around Marcel and pulled him in a tight hug. "I missed you so much." She whispered and then kissed his lips softly as he reciprocated. "How are your parents?" she asked and he rolled his eyes. "You never want to know about my parents. Why curious now? Does your father want to have anything to do with them?" "Of course not. There are no more family members allowed on the Board and you know that." "Yeah, and my family is the outcast." "Hey, come on. I do love you, but when it comes to my father, you know that I cannot have any influence over him. No one can, except Niklaus sometimes, but other than that, he does what he wants to do." Marcel nodded before saying, "Cami came to me yesterday." "She did? Why?" "To tell me that she is being forced into an arranged marriage with one of your brothers. Know who she might be paired with?"

Rebekah shook her head. "No, from what my father told me, he wants to pair everyone with their exact match and I know that he will do the right thing to bring some happiness for Cami too." "So who do you think would be for Cami?" Marcel asked with a grin and Rebekah shook her head. "It could be anyone…anyone but Kol." "You don't see her with Kol?" "Not a chance and I am sure my father is not blind either. I am not sure any of the girls are going to fit Kol, but let's hope for the best, and I can't wait to meet them all. The only one I know is Cami." "You want to take them out shopping or what?" "Something like that. I want to get to know my sisters-in-law better and they are coming here in a few hours. The poor things, I can only imagine how horrible it must be for them, having been forced by their parents to marry men they don't know and don't love." "What if that happens to you someday?" Rebekah snorted. "Be serious, Marcel, that is not going to happen to me. There is no need."

"How do you know that? How do you know that Mikael is not going to lose his mind when he finds you a beautiful unmarried woman? He is going to go to hell and back in order to find you a good husband and where will that leave us?" "Well, we have talked about this at the party, remember? You refuse to tell your parents that we are together." "You know what a disaster I will create if I do, Rebekah. It is out of the question, please." "Fine. But you brought this on yourself." "Hey, it is my life that is at stake here if anyone finds out that we have been secretly hooking up. I love you, very much and I can't let you be in another man's arms but I also can't get the courage to reveal to anyone our relationship. I was always hoping that you would agree to move away with me." Rebekah smiled and shook her head. "New Orleans is my home and it will always be my home. I love it here, and I don't intend to run away with you like this. I want a normal life in the city we both grew up in. I want to be with you without any shame, Marcellus. Why don't you allow us that?"

He remained silent for a moment and then she leaned over and brushed her lips gently against his. "I am tired of living in fear like this, as if we are Romeo and Juliette. I want more and I need more from our relationship. No fear, just love that flourishes." Marcel smiled. "You see, this is one of the things that I always loved about you. You have some seriously messed up ideas about love." Rebekah gasped and hit him in the arm, playfully. "You do too." "Fine. You got me there." They kissed again, passionately before she pulled away and asked with a sad smile, "Is Cami still into you?" "No, why would you ask that?" "Listen, you can tell me if it's true. It doesn't bother me as long as I know that you love me." "Of course I love you. It's only you, Rebekah and it will always only be you." "So does Cami have feelings for you?" Marcel hesitated before whispering, "Yes." He could see the hurt in Rebekah's eyes which is why he added quickly, "But she is hoping that this marriage could help her move on and I think it can. Her feelings for me are not that strong and as soon as she has a husband…things will change. I promise." Rebekah smiled, nodded and kissed him. "I trust you, Marcellus, I do. I just don't trust her." "She will not do anything, I promise you. Don't get worked up about her, okay?"

…

She was standing in front of the mansion with her heart beating faster and faster. Hayley could not believe that it had come to this exact moment when she would have to face all of them. She would be a part of this family for the greater good. A few cars pulled up and she noticed two girls getting out of one car. They were pretty close to each other, so Hayley could guess that they were friends. The taller brunette, Hayley could guess that it was Sophie Deveraux. She looked a lot like her popular sister, Jane Anne, and she even had her name tattooed on her left arm, near her shoulder. Then other girl was smaller and since the O'Connell daughter was known as the popular blonde bartender, Hayley could guess that this one was Davina Claire, the smallest of them all. She smiled at them, hoping that they would share their obvious displease to me married to Mikaelsons, with her. "Hey, I'm Hayley…Marshall." They didn't smile at her. "Sophie…and this is Davina." Sophie told her, without any sort of emotion on her face. Davina simply rolled her eyes and crossed her hands over her chest.

Another car pulled up and a blonde girl, stepped out, carrying a book. She was dressed casually, but some could say that she was the modern Mary Poppins, especially while she held that book in her hands. "You must be Camille." Hayley stated when she saw that Cami had flashed her, a small smile. "Call me Cami. Camille is a mouthful. And you must be that girl who has been sheltered by her parents all her life. I welcome you to the real world. It's creepy and so not worth it, but hey, it's life!" Hayley smiled at Cami's poor ways of trying to make the situation lighter for them. "You can call me the anti-social freak I guess, but I think I prefer to be called Hayley." She held out her hand to her and Cami shook it. "You were forced into this mess just as I was, right?" Cami asked her and Hayley nodded. "Don't worry. We can put up with these people together. In a time like this one, no one should be alone." She smiled at Davina as she said that, and she smiled back.

The doors opened and the butler was standing there, letting them in, "Mr. Mikaelson and his sons are expecting you." "I am sure they are." Sophie said with a roll of her eyes, making Davina giggle. Hayley didn't know it, but a tear escaped her eyelids and slid on her cheek, as she thought about leaving her home. That was the only place she knew, surrounded by the very kind maid, the cooks, and her parents. She had her own room there. She knew that it would take a long time for her to adjust to a new one. The living room was grand and there, Hayley could see a man, waiting for them, dressed elegantly. This one was Mikael, she knew it. Behind him, stood a sturdy, blonde woman, about his age, which Hayley could only guess was his wife, Esther. She looked pale and a little unwell, but was trying hard to hide it with her smile and make-up. "I welcome you, my girls, to the Mikaelson estate. Please, join me."

As they turned around, Hayley could now notice the other men sitting in the room, as well as a young blonde, woman. "This is Rebekah, our daughter." Esther spoke in a whisper, as she presented her. Rebekah shook their hands, politely, smiling to all of them, except Cami. "And these are our sons!" Mikael spoke up. "Elijah…" Elijah stood before them in an elegant tux, just as his brothers, holding a small glass of wine. His hair, coif-shaped and he had some very aristocratic features on his face. "…Finn…" Mikael continued and presented Finn Mikaelson, the most muscular of them all, but not even a smile on his lips. "…Kol…" The youngest of them all was also holding a glass of wine, smirking at the ladies and pressing gentle kisses on their palms. He looked a lot like a ladies man. "…and Niklaus!" Hayley's breathing hitched as he stood up from the couch to greet the women, kissing their hands. When he reached Hayley, he looked at her in the eyes and felt the world fall apart, as she opened her mouth a little, her heartbeats quickening, as he held her hand, but froze from placing a kiss on it, looking at her directly in the eyes. There was no emotion on his face.

 **A/N: I just had to stop here with a cliffhanger. What did you think of this chapter? Is Rebekah feeling insecure now, having Camille around the house? Do you think Cami suspects that she is Marcel's secret lover? What about Hayley and the secret she has to keep? How do you think her interaction with Klaus will go? Will the truth be revealed about her lies when they exchanged words at the party they met?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	6. I'm A Fighter

**Last chapter, Jack and Annabelle have revealed to Hayley the secrets that are vital to keep from Mikael and his family, but the question is, will she manage? Mikael is being searched for the murder of Casper Roland, as Esther is having cancer problems. We left off the moment the girls have been welcomed into their new home, the grand Mikaelson mansion, by their future husbands.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Amazed with the knowledge about his future wife, Klaus asks his Father for him and his brothers to spend the day with these women, getting to know them better. An art room, finds Hayley completely taken aback by the talent, creativity and focus in Klaus' work, but shaken by his complete dismissal attitude towards her. Realizing the true connection between Camille and Gia, like he hadn't before, Elijah starts wondering if he can go through with this marriage. Rebekah's secret is discovered by Esther, who warns her daughter of the danger she got herself into. Finally, Mikael has a conversation with the girls regarding what they will need to accomplish in order to show their strength as Mafia daughters.**

* * *

Hayley could barely breathe as she stared at him. He had the same charming look on his face as he had the night he rescued her, but there was no smirk this time. There was no emotion, as Mikael came forth to us, seeing that Klaus had stopped midway from kissing my hand, like he did with the other girls. "You two should be more acquainted, as I have decided that the two of you would be a perfect match. What do you think, Niklaus?" Hearing his father's voice, Klaus regained his thoughts and kissed Hayley's hand, softly, his eyes not leaving hers, as she stared at him in complete shock. What was he going to do now that he knew? What was he going to say to his father? There was that smirk. It was back on his face, making Hayley's breathing hitch. Rebekah nudged Kol and whispered excitedly, "He likes her. It's so obvious." Klaus turned to his father, after letting go of Hayley's hand. "I believe she will do." The answer filled her up with rage. Mikael looked at them both for a moment, "Very well." He then turned to a startled Camille saying, "You, my dear, are to have a future alongside my son, Elijah."

Elijah's eyes met hers and he suddenly felt extremely confused. He had met her that night at the party, he could remember well. She was the sister Gia always refused to talk about. It was her, but he couldn't find it in his heart to accept the fact that his father had decided to pair him with this beautiful blonde woman. There had to be some sort of mistake. Elijah had no idea how his father was working on pairing each and every one of them? How did he know? Cami crossed her hands over her chest and looked at the ground, as Elijah strutted over to her, "Dear Camille, we meet again." He said, huskily. Cami finally looked up into his brown eyes and replied, "You really should have watched where you were going, Elijah." There was a smile playing on his face, but then it disappeared almost at once, making Cami nervous about what was to come. Why had he suddenly gone this cold? Was it something she said? Did it bother him that she criticized him? Kol was scratching his head, confused as he saw Mikael had paired him with the shortest girl there, Davina Claire and at last, Sophie was to be the wife of Finn. Mikael clapped his hands together. "I am pleased to welcome you girls into my family and just a couple of days before the wedding; I can assure you that we will get to know one another very well!"

The doorbell rang and the butler went to get it at once. Two police officers were waiting outside and Mikael's smile disappeared, as Esther was looking at him, worried. The butler turned towards him and exclaimed, "It is for you, Master!" Mikael nodded and headed to the front door, leaving the rest of them in the living room. Hayley's eyes averted from Klaus' as she watched carefully Mikael's every move. She knew how much her father was interested in knowing what was going on with Mikael behind closed doors, so perhaps she could use the opportunity she had of living here, to spy on him and his business. Esther decided to close the doors, so there would be no distractions, as she took over Mikael's speech to the girls, with Rebekah at her side. "You shall be making yourselves very comfortable around here. Please keep in mind that this house is more of a palace than anything else. Twelve bedrooms in four separate wings, two kitchens and one grand dining room. Family supper is considered the most important meal of the day and we always have dinner as a family at six PM sharp every night. It is important not to be late. Any questions?"

"We do have our own bedrooms, right?" Sophie asked and there was certain bitterness in her tone which Esther didn't like and she immediately frowned at her. "I would often remind you that it is important to maintain respect in this household as long as you are living here. This will no longer be a place where you will do as you please. You have ground rules which you will need to follow. Which is why, in order to help you, I have taken the liberty of jotting them all down for you." Rebekah smiled and went over to the four girls, handing them four brochures. "As Mikaelson wives, you shall submissively follow the rules and respect your husbands. Your parents must have taught you everything that you needed to know about what it takes to be a woman implicated in the Mafia. My husband has decided that he would like to test your abilities before the weddings. You will have a few days of preparation of course, during which time, Mikael and I shall be observing your qualities as fighters. I wish you all the best." Hayley felt her heart stop once again. Training? Abilities? What the hell did she know about all of this? What did she know about her parents' business? She knew nothing. They trusted her to keep the secret about her being adopted at birth by the Marshalls, but not a direct Marshall descendant, and Hayley was going to do her best to keep that secret as long as she was here…and find out more.

Klaus was looking at her, more like staring, as he was just a couple of steps away from her. Hayley, Camille, Davina and Sophie were standing in a row and awaiting instructions. Hayley saw him from the corner of her eye. There was curiosity on his face, no emotion that could represent relaxation but there was none that could express anger either. The door opened again and a grumbling Mikael came back inside, running his hand through his hair. "What happened?" Esther asked him in a whisper. Hayley made sure that she was completely focused on the conversation between Mikael and Esther. She had pretty good ears and could hear the whispering between two people. Only this time, the only words she picked up were "money", "lung", "police" and "crime". She knew that after a few days of living here, she would put two and two together and find out what was really going on in this so called "perfect" mansion and family of theirs. Mikael started talking again and Hayley's eyes were on him. "I suppose Esther has explained to you that as Mikaelson wives, your life will not be easy around here. It is tradition that you follow the rules from that brochure. Read the brochure carefully and ask my wife questions if you have any. Now, I propose for you to find your rooms. I have taken the liberty of carving your names on the door on gold plaque. Evidently, you shall be living next to my sons, where you will be reachable."

"Will they start their training now?" Rebekah asked Mikael, as she was looking at some text from her phone. Mikael nodded. "I suppose so, my daughter. I need to learn everything there is to know about these women. You do understand that I cannot just allow any woman to become a part of my family. They have one week during which time they will need to offer me time to inspect them and they need to be able to impress me with anything they know." Hayley overhearing all of this gulped and closed her eyes…and then she heard his voice. Her eyes snapped forward and saw him approach his father. "If I may, Father, I believe that this has been quite a difficult day for them. They must be exhausted and I am perfectly aware that they will need time to adjust to our lifestyle. I propose we let them take the first day off. This way, we shall get time of our own to spend…with our future brides." The clever smirk playing on Klaus' face pushed Mikael into agreeing and somehow, Hayley felt relieved by this. With this, the girls joined their partners through different places in the house to visit.

…

"I believe it is time for us to talk." There was a whisper against her skin and Hayley nearly jumped as she realized how close he actually was to her. She didn't know how to respond, especially since Mikael and Esther were still looking at the two of them closely, as Elijah, Camille, Finn, Sophie, Kol and Davina have already left for their personal "dates". She bit her lip before looking up into his cold blue eyes and answering, "Yes, I believe it is." Klaus had his hands behind his back and was looking at her firmly. "Follow me." He whispered and Hayley did as he asked, with her hands crossed over her chest, as they passed the butler and the maid. God know what a numerous staff the Mikaelsons had. They even had an elevator she barely noticed in the living room. "Where are we going?" Hayley asked, surprised as he pushed the button. "Upstairs, of course." Klaus answered back, furrowing his eyebrows. The door opened and they stepped inside, as Klaus pressed the one button which brought them to the West Wing. "There are three bedrooms here. One which I personally turned into a special room of mine. You are not to enter." He told her strictly, and Hayley couldn't help but roll her eyes, as he opened the door to one of the rooms. "This room shall be yours."

It was impressive what a stylist could do to one of these rooms. The walls were in a rich sunset orange type of color, with a huge desk, an armchair and plenty of books situated on many shelves. She had a huge bed, and a bathroom, which pretty much had everything you needed in it, including the extra bubbling and sea salt that does good to women's skin. Even though this room was twice the size of the room she had at her parents' home, it still felt very empty, as it did not have many objects placed in it. There was a vanity mirror, right next to her bed, but Hayley knew that she would hardly be using it. She hated to look at herself in the mirror. She did it only if it was absolutely necessary to do so. Otherwise, she preferred to avoid mirrors at all costs. There were all sorts of thoughts roaming inside of her mind that once captivated by an image in the mirror, she would get lost in it and lose her mind. The truth was that was a prank that was played on her by another girl with whom she went to university with, but Hayley never really got over it. "Enjoying the view, are we, little wolf?" he asked her in a whisper and she parted her lips, as she realized that he used the nickname he offered her the night they met.

He closed the door to her room and whispered, "I have to admit that I was mildly surprised to see you standing there before me, ready to be my wife." Hayley looked into his eyes and raised her chin saying, "It is an obligation and I always do my best to help my family in need, no matter the sacrifice." "Family comes first." "Yes." She agreed with him and he nodded, starting to pace around the room and making her feel nervous. "Would you care to explain to me why you lied about your last name?" he finally asked her the question she was hoping he wouldn't ask. "I…I was just…" He suddenly turned towards her with his face steaming in anger. "Lies are not in the nature of this family." "It is in the Mafia…and I lied because I couldn't trust you, as I can't now." Hayley whispered before she could stop herself. Klaus looked taken aback by her words. He went over to her, trapping her into the wall, as he leaned his right hand on that wall and said softly, "You don't trust me, the man who saved you from the moment in which your boyfriend would have taken every ounce of dignity left in you through pushing you to sleep with him…" "You are a stranger to me." Hayley said, affected by their close proximity.

Klaus locked eyes with her, keeping his body steady as to not get closer to her than necessary. "Perhaps…but now that you are going to be my wife, there needs to be some sort of bond formed between us, no matter what that is. Trust is also something I dearly appreciate in a relationship. But just as I am asking you for your trust, I need to make sure that I can trust you and right now, little wolf…" This was the moment he pushed himself into her, as her breasts touched his chest, "…you're not off to a real good start…Hayley Mitchel." There was the smirk on his face again the moment he pulled away and saw her red in the cheeks. Hayley wouldn't have a man like him make her feel this way. She was not going to submit to him, no matter what the rules stated in that silly brochure Esther made for them, and regardless that he was going to be her husband in a week's time. That was…if she passed the tests. "Why didn't you tell your father about my lie?" she whispered as she saw him staring outside her window. His smirk had disappeared and he looked back at her with a normal and serious look. "I have not decided if I should tell him, or not, but one thing is certain here. These marriages build powerful alliances my father needs, in order to get back the money that was taken from us, as you must very well know. I do not intend to jeopardize this alliance because of a small lie of yours. My father would never forgive you."

"So, you're not going to tell him?" Hayley asked with a hopeful look on her face. "That depends. If you are a good girl and obey me…we shall have no problems." Hayley frowned and stepped forward, opening her mouth to say something back to him but stopped herself as she realized what becoming a Mikaelson bride would mean for her now. She needed to know her place. She needed to know when to talk and when to stay silent. She needed to know when to offer her husband the pleasure and the comfort that he needed. The thought about doing all of this, frightened her. He smiled when he saw her stop herself from her outburst. "Impressive. I've known since I saw you that there is more fire behind those pretty little green eyes, than others might think, love." He stepped closer to her again, hoping to intimidate her, but with no success. He saw the frown on her face, as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, grabbing her back and pulling her close to him, "Make yourself comfortable. We shall speak about these new arrangements a bit later." She amused him with her sass and her attitude. Klaus knew how much fun he was going to have, longing for her to submit to him…but he adored challenges, and she was one hell of a challenge.

…

The door was opened for Cami in the East Wing, and she looked around at the room with light blue colored walls, white shelves, mirrors, bed, bathroom, everything. Elijah was standing by the door and watching her observe her room. Had he known something about her sooner, he would have told his father, but now, it was too late. He cursed under his breath and wondered what he was thinking that night. Had he had too much to drink? How could he not comprehend that she was Gia's sister when she met her? Cami looked nervous, as she was fidgeting with her fingers, noticing that the butler had already brought her luggage in this room. She didn't want to do this, really. She knew deep inside of her heart that she still had feelings for Marcel. Hearing that he had moved on from their one night stand with someone else, truly broke her heart, but she had no intention of ever telling Elijah about such things. She wanted to make the most of what was happening, remembering her uncle's warning. Gia had been the perfect daughter in whatever project her family had in mind and she was always used as the secret weapon because she was smart, and her long practice of the violin, made her the best in New Orleans. Uncle Kieran had offered her this chance to prove herself to her family. She couldn't mess this up. No, of course not. Not now, when she was so close to getting her uncle to appreciate everything she did.

Camille took her backpack and pulled out her notebook, placing it on her desk, turning to Elijah and asking, "Your room is the one next to me?" "Yes, of course. First door on the right, and on the other side, we have two other bedrooms where Sophie Deveraux and my brother, Finn, shall be staying. "I see." She pulled her hair back for a moment and whispered, "Anything else about the house that you would like to show me, or is this it?" "You wish to see more of the mansion?" Elijah asked her, with his eyebrow raised. Cami crossed her hands over her chest and replied, "If you want to, you can show me. I am not demanding anything." Elijah sighed and stepped over to her, saying in a soothing voice, "Camille…" She backed away from him and some of the other notebooks she was holding had tumbled to the ground. "Shit." Cami whispered and immediately bent over to try to pick up these notebooks, as Elijah looked at her, intrigued. "What happen to be these?" he asked and scooped up a notebook that was more his reach. Before Camille could stop him, he had opened it and looked inside.

"You study poetry." He mumbled, as he fumbled through the pages. It was not a question. Cami simply shook her head. "No, it's just a hobby of mine…" "Clearly. The rimes are not to be found and you seem to be fond of familiar words, not literary." He handed the notebook to her and Cami took it, feeling herself boil up from anger on the inside. How dare he stand there and criticize her hobby? Poetry was one of the things that made her happy. It was up to her, how she decided to write it. "I like to create my own style when it comes to poetry. Originality in one's art means a lot to me. Excuse me if I don't buy the criticism. If I wanted that, I could just travel abroad and see my know-it-all half-sister." Cami responded bitterly in a very immature way, before she could stop herself. Once she finished and there was silence, she looked away from him as she realized that she was dumping all of her personal issues with her sister on him. It wasn't as if he didn't ask for it, but Elijah Mikaelson was highly educated when it came to poetry, so she realized that there was no way that she could ever compete with him.

"Forgive me if I have offended you in any way." Elijah said to her, already feeling the guilt seep inside of him as he heard her mention her sister. There was obviously a strong connection between the two women but not necessarily a pleasant one. When Camille didn't say anything, Elijah raised his eyebrows and walked back to the door. "I suppose I should leave you to accommodate to your new surroundings. But let me advise you on one thing, Camille. Your temperamental and your…how should I say it? Ah yes, your attitudinizer methods are not to be displayed around this house again…that is if you wish to survive my father's wrath. I must go now." He walked out of the room and closed it behind him, but not before he heard Camille curse out loud and knock something down in anger. His phone rang and he immediately looked over it to see an unknown number. There was quite a show going on with Finn and Sophie who have apparently just gotten to know one another, so he was forced to move away from Sophie's room to come in contact with the person calling him.

" _I missed you, baby."_ Came her voice from the other end and Elijah's heart skipped a beat as he made sure no one was around to listen, especially not Camille. "You have not called me for a couple of months, Gia. I have not heard from you since you left." _"I know. I was busy here. I am getting a break at the end of the week, and I thought maybe we could see each other."_ Elijah's eyes closed for a moment and then he looked towards the closed door of Camille's new bedroom. "Gia…" _"Let us meet and then you can decide. I know I have broken things up between us that sudden but it was a last minute thing. I had to accept the scholarship and Uncle Kieran agrees with me. I think Sean might be coming back too."_ "What of your sister?" Elijah asked her before he could stop himself. _"What about her?"_ Gia asked him after a pause. He wanted to tell her, he really did, but he couldn't. "Nothing. Why are you coming back?" There was a small laugh which could be heard from the other line as she whispered, _"Do I need a reason? I thought that you would be happy to pick up where we left off."_ There was a moment of silence before Elijah ran his fingers over his forehead and whispered, "Yes, come home. We must talk when you get here. I shall be waiting for you." With that, they ended the conversation.

…

Cooking had never been something Rebekah was keen on doing, but she found herself really joyful this day, as she shared some spectacular moments with Marcel. She was now in the kitchen, helping the staff to bake when her mother entered, "Rebekah Mikaelson! What is the meaning of this? Do you realize what your father is going to say if he finds you this way? You are supposed to be acting like a mature and responsible young lady. This is absolutely unacceptable." Rebekah rolled her eyes and whispered, "I just want to help out, that's all." "You are charitable only when you are happy. Whatever made you so happy today, my dear? Would you care to share it with me?" An idea suddenly sprung into Rebekah's mind. She had been thinking about her conversation with Marcel about their secret relationship and how she is more than willing to tell someone about it. Her eyes wondered to her mother's curious face and excitement ran through her. She was going to tell her. She knew that her mother would understand. "Come with me, please…to my room." Rebekah said to her.

"A relationship with whom?" Esther almost yelled out in shock at what she was hearing. "Marcel." "From the Gerald family?" Esther asked and ran her hand through her hair, looking around, hoping that there was no one to hear Rebekah's confession in the South Wing of the house. "You are playing with fire. I cannot believe that you would do something like this to your father. If he finds out…" "Mom, no one must find out! You must understand that! No one is to find out about us. I told you because I trust you to keep this a secret. Please…Dad will kill him. He already has bad blood with his parents…but Mom…I love him." It was clear that no one and nothing could stand in the way of true and conflicted love and Rebekah had proven that. Esther started sweating as she whispered, "Your father is being placed under a lot of pressure with the death of Casper Roland. His name is searched and if he is to find out about your relationship with Marcel…he and his family won't live another day and I am sure you understand your severe punishment for treason. This family is no ordinary family, Rebekah and you know that." "Why can't we be a normal family? That is how these girls were all raised."

"According to your father, they were not given the proper knowledge and skill for the purpose they serve in our society. On the other hand, you have, and your father is very proud of you and your university accomplishments, Rebekah. I don't want this all to backfire. I love both of you and I would hate to see strained relationships. This family is based on trust and your father trusts you to tell him the truth at all costs." "Mom, please." "You can only help yourself by ending your relationship with this boy." "How can I just end my relationship with him when the heart wants what it wants?" Esther caressed her cheek. "I know it is difficult, but you just have to, honey. There is no turning back now." "Exactly. Marcel and I are going to continue to see each other and you are not going to say a word to anyone. I thought you cared about me." "Of course I care about you." "Then for the good of the family, you will do the right thing and keep this from Father." Esther gulped at the idea of keeping secrets from Mikael. She was afraid of him, she had always been afraid of his wrath. He was the most dangerous man in New Orleans, but at the same time, she loved him, had agreed to marry him and had agreed to have his children, his legacy. This was the peaceful path chosen for her and Esther knew that she would stop at nothing to keep it this way. Looking into Rebekah's icy blue eyes, she nodded in agreement.

…

She couldn't help the curiosity that took over her when she looked at the room next to her and his room. The third room, which he talked about. It was not locked and she could open the door easily, wondering what was inside that he didn't want her to see. Hayley went inside and slowly closed the door behind her as to not make any noise. She covered her mouth with her hand as she saw the many paintings hung up on walls, on the ceiling and on the ground too. She wondered if he was a collector of valuable work of art. Hayley had never been anyhow interested in art, although her mother had often told her that it was a necessity for a woman as young as her to know a little bit about art. She often said that it represents the true mysteries of life. A painting in the middle of the room, which was not exactly finished, caught her eye and she stepped over to it, touching it. The picture of a strange person, in a dark forest, staring out into the light…a lost soul, she thought.

For some reason, when she touched it, she couldn't help but feel the emotion with which it was painted. She felt emptiness, the person who painted this obviously had a difficult past and a current difficult life. She almost felt sorry for him…but why would Klaus possess such paintings? Hayley felt herself completely mesmerized by this particular painting that she didn't hear the door open and close behind her. "Hayley!" Klaus exclaimed and she jumped, looking backwards and almost stumbling, out of shock. "Klaus." She breathed and pulled the hair from her eyes so she could look at him better. He had changed his clothes, but the color black was still showing more from the grey. He was not smirking this time. As a matter of fact, he was looking at her, deadly in the eyes, and took a couple of steps towards her until he was right in front of her with his hands behind his back and a growl that ripped from his throat. "Have I not made myself clear when I told you that you are not to enter this room?" She tried to pull herself together in order to face him. She knew that she was not to show him that he could push her around whenever he wanted to. "I was curious to find out what you were hiding. It doesn't seem like much. Do you have a problem with me knowing you are an art collector?"

The frown disappeared from his face, but there was still confusion on it. "I happen to be an artist myself, not an art collector." Hayley's eyes widened and whispered, "You painted all of this?" She was absolutely amazed by him. Never would she have thought that her future husband would be an artist as good as him. "I suppose you do have your own talents…outside of killing people for your pleasure of your father's." Again she couldn't stop the wrong words from coming from her mouth. At that moment, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his chest as he hissed, "You are not to make another remark like that again as you are under this roof. Your parents may have allowed you to think so superficially but as your husband, I shall not allow it." She pulled her hand away and said, "And as your wife, I will have my own rights around here and you cannot boss me around this way and tell me what to do." "Let me make something clear to you, Hayley. As long as you are under my father's roof, you are going to obey his rules, and you are also going to respect my decisions as your husband. This may have not been the case with your family but here…the wife submits to her husband, and you shall submit."

There was fear plunging inside of her for the first time since she saw him and she couldn't understand why he had that effect on her. He stepped even closer to her until they were inches away from their foreheads to touch and the only thing she could stare at were his lips. His beautiful plump and rosy lips, almost feminine but applied with his rusty masculine features and his stubble, he looked absolutely handsome. "What if I don't submit to you?" she finally asked in a whisper as she noticed that he had no intention of moving away from her. "If your intentions are to disobey me, you shall receive the punishment required. Perhaps we should start punishing you now…as you have disobeyed me on the first day and we are not even married yet." "I have not done anything!" Hayley snapped at him and he grabbed her throat, pushing her against the wall. He was not chocking her but he was trying to install fear into her. Unfortunately, he hadn't managed. "You came into this room without my permission. I told you that it was forbidden for you to be here and yet you came here anyway. Why?"

Tears were rolling up in her eyes for that one moment and she saw his eyes soften once he noticed that. He made her feel unlike herself and slowly removed his hand from her neck. "I have never allowed anyone except Rebekah to enter this room once I have created it, and I don't wish to find you here again." She let go of her tears, and then hastily wiped them away as to not show cowardness and weakness as she hissed, "I am going to be your wife. I have a right to know…" "Nothing! You have a right to know nothing aside from what I tell you. The world here does not revolve around you and your needs, little wolf. Get used to it! Now, I am asking for you to leave." "No, I…" "Unless you want me to tell my father the truth about your little lie as being a Mitchel and not a Marshall, I suggest you leave this room now and don't come back. Your father shall be having problems on the Board. Is that what you want?" Hayley stayed there, looking at his coldness towards her and then finally whispered, "No." leaving the room as he slammed the door behind her.

Throwing herself on the bed in her room, Hayley let the pillow absorb her tears, as she looked over to see that the envelope Esther had given her was still sitting right next to her bed. Picking it up and wiping her eyes from anger and hurtfulness at what he had said to her, she ripped open the envelope and looked over at the piece of paper inside of it. She scoffed, not daring to believe all of this.

 _The Following Rules are the ones applied in the Mikaelson household and the ones a wife will have to obey in order for a perfect relationship with her husband and his family:_

1\. A Mikaelson wife if not allowed to touch her husband unless asked to or allowed, by said husband.

2\. A Mikaelson wife is not allowed to question her husband's actions, of any kind, displeasing him.

3\. A Mikaelson wife will be respectable in public and show pride for the husband she represents.

4\. A Mikaelson wife is to fill in any sexual desires required or wanted by her husband at anytime and anyplace, without given the choice of refusing, therefore displeasing her husband which would violate Rule Nr. 2.

5\. A Mikaelson wife will show the proper respect for her husband's family.

6\. A Mikaelson wife is to participate in the occasional jobs given to her husband, and offer him the support needed.

7\. A Mikaelson wife is to speak the truth to her husband at all times.

8\. A Mikaelson wife is to inform her husband of any particular changes or news in her own family.

9\. A Mikaelson wife is to take care of her body, making sure to wash herself every day and inform her husband of any monthly body changes.

10\. A Mikaelson wife is to wax certain sensitive parts of her body once a week.

11\. A Mikaelson wife is to follow a special diet, given to her by her mother-in-law.

12\. A Mikaelson wife is to perfect her shooting abilities when it comes to using a gun to protect her husband or anyone in the family, as others will do for her.

 **A/N: Not a good start for Klayley, I know, but this is where it gets more interesting. Hayley has to be prepared to face the tests Mikael will offer her. She needs to be able to face the worst possible. Do you think Klaus will ignore her, learn more about her or even help her? Do you think Hayley will respect the rules given to her? What if she doesn't?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews and let me know what you think.**


	7. Bear The Pain Without Breaking

**In the previous chapter, the Mikaelson brothers have gotten to know their future wives better, but with no possible chance at their relationship getting better, especially between Klaus and Hayley. Elijah contemplated on what he will do about being connected to both Gia and Camille. Mikael had also revealed the tests the girls will be forced to take in order to show their abilities as strong wives before the wedding to his sons. A series of 12 rules were also released and tended to be respected… or else.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Afraid of the upcoming challenges that lie ahead of her, Hayley tries to manage through her difficult program with Esther, teaching her how to be a perfectly respectable wife to her husband, to train on her own for what is to come. The Council reunites for another meeting, in which Casper's murder is discussed among other issues at hand, as Hayley, Camille, Sophie and Davina have breakfast to discuss the mess they have gotten themselves into, as Esther complicates things even more for them. Klaus comes face to face with Marcel Gerard. Finally, after coming to terms with what Marcel wants in their future, Rebekah turns to Hayley for a talk about her brother.**

* * *

Those rules were the ones challenging her mind and Hayley could no longer think clearly as she laid her head on the pillow after a long and tiring day, in which she had achieved nothing. She knew that she was doing this for her father but she also hoped that something for her would come out of this too. She had given up on the future she was planning for herself for the two people who have raised her, unlike the people who were originally her parents and then abandoned her at birth. Jackson…the name came into her mind the first time since she arrived at the Mikaelson mansion and she realized how sorry she felt for the way she had treated him during their relationship. She understood his needs, but he also needed to understand hers and he failed. For that alone, she had erase every single good memory shared with him, and is now to be married to a man who hates her guts, and who she doesn't like at all. She growled in anger in her pillow as she thought about their conversation from earlier and how he had forbidden her from ever entering his Art Studio. Why? Why was his sister the only one allowed to go in there and see his art? Why didn't he share his talent with anyone else?

Hayley started feeling completely neglected, and she was not even married to this man yet. The alarm went off at 7 AM, just as Esther requested, so they would have breakfast together as a family, as per tradition. She got out of bed and took a shower very quickly, knowing that she had to be in the family room in half an hour. She decided to wear tight jeans, a black sweater, adding slight blush on her cheeks and long black boots to her feet. After brushing her hair, she looked ready to go. Finally, as she opened the door, she stopped in her tracks as she saw that he had opened his bedroom door, and was looking at her intensely, studying every single part of her body, making it impossible for her to move. Finally, his eyes averted from her and he went downstairs, leaving Hayley with a slight annoyance in her brain and her heart. Who gave him the right to treat her this way? What is it that she had done so badly to him to make him hate her so much? Rolling her eyes, she decided to stick with her plan that was to act as responsible as possible, follow the rules of being a Mikaelson wife and train her hardest for the moment Mikael would evaluate all of them. She would help out her father a lot. She knew it.

Camille, Sophie and Davina were already sitting at the table with their partners, sipping their tea, as Esther was sitting at the end of the table, with Rebekah right next to her, smiling at her and helping her from time to time. Hayley couldn't help but notice that Esther had some trouble breathing correctly from time to time. Was it possible that she had asthma? She coughed at the table too, as the servants were bringing in the many plates of toast, fruits, vegetables, cereal, bacon, coffee and tea. Klaus had taken his spot at the table and started eating, without saying anything to his brothers. Hayley took a deep breath and sat down next to him, putting food on her own plate. She was really hungry. "Oh, Hayley. Just fruits for you today, my dear." Esther told her with a smile and noticed for the first time that Davina was eating a salad, Sophie was trying to bite into a grapefruit and Camille was reading a book under the table, without anyone noticing it, not even Elijah…or maybe he pretended not to notice. "But I am hungry and I need my stress." Hayley replied, receiving a dirty look from Klaus and she simply raised her eyebrow with a passive look on her face, as she stared back at him. Esther shook her head. "I hope you have read the rules. Diet comes first because as women, it is important to keep our bodies fit."

"But Rule Nr. 3 clearly states that I have to be a respectable wife in public when my husband represents me. I can't really be that pleasing to the eye when I am anorexic now, can I?" Hayley could feel Klaus' eyes on her, as Esther ran her hand on her forehead and whispered, "I do hope that you will not be that kind of girl who is going to give me a hard time. I am just trying to help you, sweetie, to understand what my husband is expecting from you, from all of you…and my dear, Camille, there is absolutely no reading at the table!" she snapped when she looked towards the blonde. Elijah moved his hand under the table and took the book from her hands, placing it on the table next to him. "It doesn't appear in the rules that you can't read during a meal." Cami whispered and then she and Hayley shared a glance and a smile, as Esther groaned. "That is an oversight that shall be corrected, rest assured." Rebekah placed her hand on Esther's shoulder. "Mother, you must not be so stressed out. It is not good for your condition." "Then you teach these girls to be respectable, my dear, because I truly am tired." Hayley started speaking again as she bit into her grapefruit. "I thought you said that you are to prepare us." Esther looked at her and responded, "Not for your fights, of course."

"What fights?" Davina asked, through her soft voice. "I thought my husband has told you that in a couple of days, you will be facing him, fighting him in order to test your skills. The aptitudes on how someone is to shoot with a gun or any other weapon properly also rests supervised by Mikael when the time comes and he is no longer busy." Esther explained with a smile, and Hayley felt herself getting cold, as she thought about what Rule Nr. 12 said. A Mikaelson wife is to perfect her shooting abilities when it comes to using a gun to protect her husband or anyone in the family, as others will do for her. She knew that Klaus would really have no problem with shooting. He was a great fighter in this family, if Hayley was able to judge from the way he had punched Jackson that terrible night when he was drunk. There was silence as they all ate in peace and then Klaus spoke up, "Mother, where might Father be?" "He was called in a meeting again regarding…you know what." Klaus nodded, as he felt Hayley stiffen next to him. "And when can I talk to him about something?" "No matter how important it is, the Council also comes first, Niklaus. Please remember that." Hayley could feel herself smirking at Klaus' failed attempts to get close to his mother or his own father somehow. She couldn't hide the smile that appeared on her face, and why should she hide it? He turned and looked at her face again. "Is there something you wish to share with me, love?" he asked her and Hayley simply shook her head, the smile not leaving her face.

With a small growl which ripped from her throat, Klaus stood up from the table and left, followed by Finn, Elijah and Kol later on. "Where are they going?" Davina asked Esther, as she watched them leave. "They are young men and have their own responsibilities set by their father in the city today." Esther responded as the servants started clearing the table and Hayley rolled her eyes. "I suppose there are more important things to be done aside from getting to know the person you are going to marry." She muttered but everyone heard her. Rebekah looked at her with a surprised look on her face, which didn't match her mother's frowning one. "The marriages are not decided before the evaluation Mikael has proposed for you. If I were you, young lady, I would refrain from making such comments and I would personally get myself busy." Stressed out, Esther stood up and was being walked to her room by Rebekah. Hayley sighed as she looked over at the quiet Camille, Davina and Sophie. "How was the first night?" the Marshall girl asked the rest. "It was fine." Sophie whispered, as she leaned back in her chair. Cami shook her head, as she was lost in her book.

"That bad, huh?" Hayley asked and Cami whispered, "He has the audacity to tell me that I don't have a talent in poetry." Sophie scoffed and whispered, "Who is he to know?" "He has studied literature for a long time. He may be right when it comes to my poetry but I hate it when people discourage me like that. I thought that getting away from my uncle would do me some good, so I can practice my violin, just like my sister perfected it, but I guess now I am getting predicaments from someone who is supposed to be my husband in a week's time." Camille finally set the book down and said, "Sometimes I am just thinking about calling my sister and have her marry this guy instead of me." Hayley shook her head. "If you don't want to disappoint your uncle more than you already have, you will go through with this marriage. Trust me; I know what I am talking about." "I suppose you're right. I wouldn't want to see that smirk on my sister's face anyway." "She has a smirk?" Sophie asked Cami and she nodded. "She often thinks of herself like she owns the world and everybody should bow down to her and her opera music." The three girls turned to Davina who seemed quieter than usual. "What's going on? Are you alright?" Hayley asked, as she noticed Davina getting pale. The girl cleared her throat and said, "I'm fine."

"But you look like you have been through a nightmare. What did that womanizer do to you?" Cami asked, immediately overprotective of Davina. "He didn't do anything, it's just…" She looked around to make sure that there was no one who could hear them before whispering, "…he talks about…the dirty things he can do to me once we are married." Sophie replied at once, "He is a dick and you shouldn't have to put up with this." "I have to, according to the guidelines…" "Forget about the guidelines, Davina, this one is going to rape you eventually. He is all about getting women in bed. It is all he is known for." Cami told her. Hayley was looking at the three girls complaining, and for that one moment, she thought about herself and what she will have to go through this week. She didn't know how to act like a Mikaelson wife, let alone how to shoot like one. How was she going to manage to fight Mikael Mikaelson, the cruelest man in all of the New Orleans when the time comes? She had to do something. She had to call her father. Just before she could grab her phone, Hayley stopped and cursed as she remembered that he was in a meeting. She knew that the next step would be to call her mother but was she even allowed? There was nothing against it in the rules so…she stood up and Cami looked at her curiously, as Davina was comforted by Sophie. "Where are you going?" "I need to make a phone call."

…

The door of the building opened and Jack was standing there, with his fingers interlined, as Mikael Mikaelson stepped out of his limo, giving his driver a couple of bucks. He pulled off his dark glasses and smirked at Jack. "How does it feel to be my new partner?" "Despicable. Get in!" He felt good having to command him for the first time and Mikael frowned, stepping indoors and taking a seat with the regular members of the board, to which he was President. Jack Marshall, Nina and David Claire, Kieran O'Connell, Robert and Mika Deveraux were now waiting for the meeting to start, as Kieran was the only one approving the looks Mikael was giving him. "I believe it is time we put the matter of Casper Roland again on the table, seeing as how the last time we were all gathered here, we were talking more about the alliance made through our childrens' marriages…" He stopped as Nina Claire started speaking, "And I hear that my daughter cannot even marry your son, unless, she completes some sort of test. What is that supposed to mean, Mikael?" "It means that she has to prove herself before becoming a Mikaelson wife. I doubt that this is a test they will not be able to pass, seeing as I am sure you have raised and taught them everything they needed to know up till now."

Jack could feel himself sweating at the thought of his daughter. Not once when she asked, had he accepted to teach her anything. She didn't know how to use a gun, at the very least. His thought immediately went to call her, to ask if she knew about Mikael's plans, but remembered that during important meetings such as this one, there were no phone conversations. He cleared his throat and asked, "What did you want to talk to us about Casper Roland, seeing as how you have gotten us all into a great big mess." "Ah, so there is a reason behind your vicious attitude towards me, Jack. I would love to hear what this is all about." Mikael leaned back into his chair as Jack, Nina, David, Robert and Mika looked at one another. "We have become suspects because of the murdering you caused with your sons a couple of days ago." "Suspects?" "Yes, suspects. What are you going to do about this?" "Jack, my intention was not to kill Casper, but to have him give me my money back." "But you realized that he didn't have the money, yet you killed him anyway and now we could all end up charged for the murder if you are found guilty. We are business partners." Mikael chuckled and shook his head. "We are both lawyers, Jack. David is a real-estate agent, Nina is a veterinarian, Mika is a housewife and Bobby here works as a plastic surgant. What are you so worried about getting caught? Our jobs are not frauds."

"They are not, but our primary jobs are working with you or against you in the Mafia. I can't really decide right now." Jack answered and Mikael chuckled once again. "You don't need to decide anything, Jack. You simply need to understand that as long as I am President of tis Board and as long as it is my family who supports yours and as long as your daughters are marrying my sons, there is not much you can do, but be my ally and my friend as you have always been." "If you do so well, why fight and go to the ends of this Earth to find a lame sum of 500.000 dollars, Mikael? Is there something you would like to add to your story?" Mikael pursed his lips as Mika said, "As your partners, we expect you to tell us the truth." "And as your President, I can assure you that there is nothing more that you need to know." Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Then what do you expect us to do? Cover for you?" "Yes of course. And not just for me. For yourself, for your family and for our business, unless you wish to see all of this go down the hill and all of our families will be jailed."

There was another moment of silence as the members of the Board looked at one another. "And what happens if one of our daughters does not pass your so called test?" Jack asked, thinking very well about Hayley. Mikael shrugged and whispered, "As Mikaelsons, we have some very high standards and not just that…our world is a dangerous one. People can break into your house and start shooting at any time. We caught Casper in the shower, for example. That can happen to any of us as long as we know there are some people out there who are out to get us, and they started by taking away the 500.000 dollars. If we lose more money into the future, we accumulate our debts to society. If that happens, they will start investigating us, and guess where that is going to lead us…" "And do you have a lead of some sort? We know it was not Casper, even though he did hold a grudge on you for a while and agreed to work against you." Robert asked but Mikael shook his head, "No, Bobby. Casper was simply a pawn in the games of an artist. He was sent to do a job for more pay…but he didn't know much that could have helped us." "Yet, you killed him." Jack told him again and Mikael snapped, "He was a means to an end. Collateral damage. Get over it, Jack! Let's get down to the matter at hand, on who we might consider a suspect."

When everyone remained silent, Mikael continued, "I would like for you to think carefully about the one family who is keen on destroying us. Richard and Adrianna Gerald, of course." Jack leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "No, I don't believe this. I really don't think that they would make a move against you." "And why do you think that? They have been royally pissed at us ever since I told them they couldn't join the Board…" "…for selfish reasons, of course." "What are you implying here, Jack? That it was my fault? I did what had to be done and requited only the best. We are the best and that is why we are all united, and we will all become one big happy family once our children get married. So…who believes that we should inspect the Geralds? For all we know, they could have the money we're looking for." Everyone raised their hands except for Jack, who glared at Mikael angrily. Mikael smirked and clapped his hands together. "Then it is settled. We have a lead."

…

Marcel kissed her one last time, before looking behind the building to make sure that no one was coming. "Are you sure that we can't go someplace? Just the two of us, and we can do what we did last week?" He winked at her and Rebekah scoffed and hit him playfully. "Stop embarrassing me and you know that we can't. My father is more stressed out than usual because he is close to being charged with the murder of Casper Roland." Marcel frowned, confused that she was telling him all of this. They knew that their families were enemies and Marcel didn't want to worsen things for them, so they kept these sorts of subjects to a minimum. Rebekah noticed his confusion and shook her head, whispering, "What is it?" "Why would you talk to me about your father's problems? Don't you think that I would tell my parents and use that to my family's advantage?" "I am only telling you because I love and trust you. I know that you always do the right thing. I just needed someone to talk to right now." "Oh, so now I understand why you came here in the first place."

"My mom needs help, Marcel…" her voice trailed off and he looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "Yes, how is she doing?" "For now, better, but I just know that it is going to get worse at some point and I won't be ready. We need…" She stopped herself from saying anything more about her father's plans, and then whispering, "…we need to get her a transplant." Marcel had promised her that he would not tell a soul about Esther's lung cancer to anyone, especially not his parents. The truth was that he detested the war between families and wanted it to end so he could be with the beautiful blonde standing right in front of him. Will that ever happen? Rebekah looked stressed out as she whispered, "Look, I have to go. Mom doesn't let me out much. Since Father is out…she needs me." "Okay." Marcel whispered back and leaned over to kiss her on her forehead, lingering his lips there for a moment, before pulling back and she creased his lips with her own, before leaving.

He was looking after her, and then backing into a corner when he heard, "Quite a sentimental moment!" Marcel turned around in shock to see Niklaus Mikaelson, standing there, with his hands behind his back and a frown on his face, as he stepped over to him. "We meet again, Marcel." He whispered and Marcel scoffed, "What do you want from me, Mikaelson?" Klaus put on a fake sad look and then smirked saying, "I truly had no idea that you hated our family that much. After all, I see that you and my sister have been getting along fine for now." "I love your sister, alright? I don't know what you saw but it doesn't change a thing. I will not stop seeing her." Marcel told him, unafraid, which surprised Klaus. "You truly are like your parents…you hold no respect for what our family represents in this city. It is the reason why your family couldn't make it as part of the Board in the first place." "My parents never agreed with your father's cruel methods and were the only ones to stand up to him and his crazy ass ideas, when the others were a bunch of cowards…" before he could finish, Marcel was already on the ground after Klaus punched him in the jaw, blood flowing from his mouth.

Klaus smirked and wiped the blood off his rings, on his dark jacket, as he leaned over and picked up Marcel from the floor, and grabbing a hold of his hoodie, looking at him in the eyes. "You are to stay away from my sister and refrain from speaking in any way that you do about my father, do you understand me?" "What are you going to do? Just going to kill me? Just proves that you are no better than Mikael. You will never be better because all you know of is how to damage people's lives, because you can't find your own happiness. If you love Rebekah, you will let her be happy and you won't tell anyone about our relationship. You can kill me now, but I assure you that she will never forgive you, and I won't stop loving her, even if I pass to the other side." Klaus looked confused by his words and somewhat impressed by his bravery. He let go of him and whispered, "What the hell do you know about happiness?" Marcel wiped the blood from his mouth and smirked, "A lot, because I am happy." Klaus chuckled, "You are smeared with blood, protecting a relationship that has no chance of lasting, especially if my father is concerned." "I am protecting the ounce of happiness your sister offers me just through her smile. I will never be able to love anyone like her. She is my soulmate, because I have taken the time to realize that. Love is something pure and deserved by anyone who knows how to appreciate it. I will protect what I have with Rebekah until the moment I leave this Earth…"

"A bit overdramatic, aren't you, Marcellus?" "Not where Rebekah is concerned. I am not ashamed to profess my love for her." "But you could be scared, if I were to make a phone call at this very moment and inform my father of what I found out." Marcel smirked and shook his head. "Go ahead, but you know that he will hurt Rebekah more than he will ever hurt me. You know that just as much as I do. Is that how you show her that you care about her? Taking away her happiness because you can't find your own?" Klaus' lips parted in shock as Marcel backed away and whispered, "I wish you all the luck you may need in your upcoming nuptials and I will pray for that poor girl you will claim as yours. Knowing your cruelty is matched to your father's, her life will pretty much be over from the moment she says 'I do'." Klaus growled in anger, but Marcel had already disappeared, putting him in thought about his sister's happiness…and his own. He pulled out his phone in anger, ready to press the button to call his father, when her sister's voice rang in his mind _. "Love is beautiful, Nik. You just have to believe in it. For years, you have barely spent more than a month with a woman, and you have had plenty at your feet. Is sleeping with them the only thing that matters to you?"_ Cursing himself, Klaus placed the phone back in his pocket, changing his mind right away. He was not one to know much about love, as he had never experienced it. So why would he be selfish as to take it away from the one person who believe in it most and believed that he too, her brother, would find it someday? He wouldn't hurt Rebekah.

...

Rearranging her wardrobe was what Esther had set her up to do this day and Hayley couldn't hate it more than this. What was the point in sorting clothes when she could do something more useful with her time? And where was he? Why wasn't he with her? She knew that he wasn't going to accept their marriage very easily and she wasn't going to either, but she as the only one making an effort. She sighed and ended up sitting on the bed, with her hands on her lap, as her fingers fumbled with what looked like a red night dress. It was stunning. She had many outfits and expensive jewelry set out for her for the parties she would be attending, but she would only be known as Niklaus Mikaelson's bride and nothing else. She hated that thought. There was a knock on the door which took her by surprise and she was really hoping that it would be him. Sadly, she did not see him standing there at the door.

Rebekah stood there, with a small smile on her face, as she pointed around the room. "Can I come in?" Hayley looked confused for a moment but finally nodded, as Rebekah closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed, touching the soft fabric of the dress. "You don't seem too happy to be doing these things." She commented and Hayley nodded. "I'm not. I thought that you guys had maids for this." "We do, but this applies more to personal hygiene, which is in the rules. You have to be responsible for it, and through it, you can make your husband happy." Hayley shook her head and started sewing a part of the dress which she noticed, was accidently ripped. "Nothing about me will ever make Klaus happy. He is forced into this marriage with me. You cannot make a husband happy, if you are a burden in his life." Rebekah looked at her in shock and then touched her hand and saying, "No, Hayley. You will be quite the opposite. I can feel it." "The opposite of what?" Rebekah licked her lips before saying, "Listen…Nik has never had a serious relationship before. He doesn't even know what it's like to be with a woman outside of the sexual consummation." "You mean to tell me that he has only ever had one night stands before? It's not a shock to me." Hayley mentioned and Rebekah shook her head again.

"He did have a relationship that lasted for about five months, or so he called it a relationship. We called it a relationship because she was the one girl who lasted this long under our roof, but there was no connection between them that could fulfill his needs, outside of his sexual ones. She was used by him, and when she realized it, she realized it a little too late that she had been used and left for Mystic Falls. Nik grew angrier and angrier since that day and I kept trying to convince him to find someone…someone he could share his feelings with, spend the rest of his life with, and start a family…" Hayley looked at her in shock. "And you think that someone is me?" "I know it is. I can feel it. He acts strangely around you. Are you sure the two of you have not met before?" Hayley parted her lips but then quickly shook her head before she could make the mistake of telling her something which would probably make Klaus even madder than he already was. "Huh…I don't know…there is a missing piece of the puzzle here, but still…he looks at you in a certain way and I know that if he puts a small effort into it, you and him can become a perfect match. Father didn't pair the two of you for no reason at all. He made the right choice because you and Nik do mash well together." "Why is it that you are trying so hard to make this marriage between us work? What's in it for you?"

Rebekah stopped fumbling with the dress and looked at her, whispering, "I just wish for Niklaus to find the happiness in his life that he needs. He has always told me of how he wanted a family, but he can't understand what family is. He has claimed to be with many women, but that doesn't symbolize love. Experiencing sexual affairs with women does not equal love but he cannot understand that. You can change all of that for him, Hayley. You can make him understand. I am asking you, to please make a bigger effort than him in this marriage when the time is right." Hayley shook her head and whispered, "I have other things I need to worry about before that marriage, Rebekah. I need…to think about what I am going to do with your father's tests." Rebekah laughed and said, "There is nothing to be scared of. He does that all the time. The only thing that you should know is how to aim the target with the gun and occasionally throw a few punches when he launches towards you, but other than that, nothing to worry about, really." Hayley looked at her wide-eyed for a moment. Sure, it was easy for her to say all of this. "Just…I know that he can be rough around the edges, but once you get to know him, you will discover a sweet side of him that is hidden somewhere deep inside his heart. He will surprise you, Hayley. But you need to dig deep." With that, she stood up and headed out of the room.

…

Opening the door and closing it behind her, Hayley sighed as she heard yelling coming from the East Wing and she recognized the loud voices to belong to Sophie and Finn. She rubbed her forehead and decided it would be best not to interfere. Then, her eyes landed on the door to the room she was not supposed to enter ever again. He had warned her and she knew what would happen if she would betray his trust again. Shaking her head, Hayley moved away and tried to push away any thoughts about Klaus she had. Rebekah was right about him having strange ideas when it comes to love, but Hayley was not about to go all the way to make a possible relationship with this man work. No. She had to take care of herself in this family, seeing as no one was going to help her. She was on her own to learn how to defeat Mikael Mikaelson and make her father proud. Ignoring the Art Studio, Hayley went downstairs to see maids sweeping the floors and dusting expensive objects.

"Um…excuse me…" She said in a soft voice, a bit embarrassed for unknown reasons. They all stopped and looked at her with curious looks on their faces. "Mrs. Mikaelson is not around here, if you wish to see her." The head maid told her and continued to do her work. "No, I was not looking for her. I wanted to ask you if you know where the training room is." They all looked at her for a moment as if she were crazy, unsure of what to say. "Down in the basement, first door on the right." The head maid finally told her and Hayley smiled, responding, "Thank you." And heading over there. They were right. The room was there, and it had everything she could possibly need. Punching bags, dummies, guns, weights to lift, a stretching area…all the devices and other training facilities she could possibly use. With a small smile, Hayley pulled out the gun that was given to her by her father and pointed it at the nearest dummy. She was ready to shoot, to prove that she could do it, but at that moment…an image appeared inside of her mind. She had it since she was fourteen, but never thought that she would be reminded of that again.

 _"Mommy, where is Daddy?" Hayley ran around the house, holding her favorite book in her hands. "Daddy is busy right now with work, my dear." Annabelle was knitting and speaking to her daughter without looking at her. Hayley frowned and whispered, "But I saw Daddy in the house." When her mother didn't say anything, Hayley headed towards the place from where the sounds could be heard. The basement had always frightened her, but she could hear her father's voice in a room down there and she peeked through the door to see him and Mikael, his partner, arguing. "I won't dare do this, Mikael." "You said that you wanted to get in on this business to save your mother's life. Imagine the money you will receive by killing off men like him." "He doesn't deserve to die, despite what he did!" Jack snapped at him and Mikael moved to grab the gun from his hand. "If you are not going to do it, I will."_

 _"No!" Jack snapped and kept the gun close to him, as he looked at the man tied up on chair, blood covering his face. Gulping, he pointed the gun to the man's forehead and Mikael was smirking at having accomplished to persuade this man to join him in the business. It was a necessity for him to get the money for his mother's already developed cancer. Hayley's mouth dropped as she saw her own father pull the trigger and shot the man directly in his forehead, blood pouring out of it. Hayley was about to scream, finding it hard to breathe, when her mother pulled her in her arms and ran out of the basement as fast as she could. "Mommy, what is happening? What did Daddy do? Did he kill that man?" she asked as Annabelle took her daughter to her room and was shaking her head. "Why did you go there, Hayley? You know you are not allowed to interfere in your father's work?" Hayley started crying and Annabelle pulled her in for a hug as she kissed her forehead. "When you're older, you will understand."_

The gun dropped from her hands as she looked over at the dummy and it resembled a whole lot as the man whose eyes were full of tears and his face was splashed with blood before her father had pulled the trigger and killed him eight years ago. Eight years ago, her father had entered the world of Mikael Mikaelson and had been brainwashed into a mobster. Now, she was paying the price…and she had to kill. She had to become a mobster, even though she knew that she didn't possess any Marshall blood. She had to bear the pain without breaking. "What are you doing here?" came the rusty voice she heard yesterday and Hayley turned around to see Klaus standing by the door the same way he had stood yesterday when he caught her in his Art Studio. Hayley rolled her eyes, thinking that he was going to throw fit again. She crossed her hands over her chest and replied, "Nothing. I am just looking around this place." Klaus smirked and whispered, "Rule Nr. 7. A Mikaelson wife is to speak the truth to her husband at all times." Hayley's eyes hardened when she noticed him smirking at her.

What? He was allowed to throw a fit and then come back with his charming personality to try to woe her whenever he wanted? She was not going to give him that kind of satisfaction. Turning around, Hayley said, "Rule Nr. 12. A Mikaelson wife is to perfect her shooting abilities when it comes to using a gun to protect her husband or anyone in the family, as others will do for her…either way, I am not your wife yet, so I don't understand why we are applying the rules even know. I have not vowed to stay by your side or to do anything you ask." "That is true, little wolf. Yet, if you are my fiancé, the same rules apply according to my parents, if you are going to stay under our roof." "Then maybe I should just pack my bags and leave so I can train somewhere else in peace." Klaus looked at her for a moment before shaking his head and inspecting the dummy she was going to shoot. "You are not going to last a day as my wife, with this attitude of yours. You have just violated Rule Nr. 5 through your threats. A Mikaelson wife will show the proper respect for her husband's family." Huh, he still had the impression that he had won. Rolling her eyes again, Hayley moved to pick up her gun, but he had stepped on it, making it impossible for her to grab it.

He dropped himself on his knees to meet her furious gaze, whispering, "Why is it that you are the only one worried about these tests my father will set for you. The other girls seem to be doing just fine…or is it possible that you are the most emotional…scared, perhaps?" "I am not scared of anything. Practice simply makes perfect." Hayley responded, trying to keep her cool with him, as Klaus took his foot off the gun and Hayley could pick it up, standing up. He observed her, from head to toe for a moment, as Hayley pressed her fingers on the trigger of the gun. "Show me how you shoot." He whispered, and Hayley looked up into his eyes, a scared look in hers. "What? Why?" He smirked once more, responding, "Rule Nr. 2. A Mikaelson wife is not allowed to question her husband's actions, of any kind, displeasing him." Hayley shook her head and growled, "Stop it! I am not obeying any rules!" He stepped over to her furiously and snapped, "Then maybe you are not worthy to become my wife!" "Maybe I don't want to be your wife at all!" she said back. His hand shot up in the air and Hayley looked at it, confused of what he was going to do and then she realized…he wanted to hit her. "No!" She grabbed a hold of his hand and kept it from touching her face or any part of her body. There was anger but there was also pleading in her eyes which took him off guard as he let her push his hand away.

Looking into her eyes for a couple more minutes, he turned around and slammed the door after he left the room. Hayley took in a deep breath, unaware of what she had done. Had she done a good thing by stopping his cruel actions towards her or a bad thing? What could he be thinking now that he had caught her practicing? Looking into her hands, she saw that she was still holding the gun, but all the courage was gone from her. She picked up the phone from her pocket and dialed her father's number.

 **A/N: The Klayley scenes are reduced right now because of the confusion and the hatred between them but let me assure you that things will get better starting next chapter. Hayley did something Klaus never thought she would have the courage to do, not to mention that she broke almost all the rules even before her wedding. Do you think Hayley will pass her test?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	8. Rules Are Made To Be Broken

**Previously, in Corrupted Souls, Hayley had gotten used to her new surroundings and found out the opinions of the other girls about the marriages, and finding it difficult to resist Klaus, but also to not resist him. Klaus found out about Marcel and Rebekah's relationship, confronting Marcel with surprising twist of events. In another Board meeting, the members have expressed their distaste for the tests Mikael has for the girls, as he suggested new suspects for the stolen 500.000 dollars.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Hayley shares with Cami the Training Room found in the basement, for the proper preparation for the tests Mikael will set them to, without him knowing. In the meantime, Klaus confronts Rebekah about her hidden relationship with Marcel, as Elijah bumps into his loving blast from the past, forcing him to make a difficult decision for his future. Mikael learns some startling information about Hayley, from Klaus, which puts things in perspective, as a plan against the Geralds is being created in the Mafia Board, and Esther is informed of the juridical changes. Finally, after seeing her struggles with Esther, Klaus makes Hayley a proposition she cannot refuse.**

* * *

Hayley refused to let him get the better of her. He thought that he was being smart and throwing those rules in her face. Growling, she dialed her father's number and put the phone to his ear, but first, making sure that Klaus had truly left and was not spying on her for whatever reason. When the coast was clear, she could finally hear her father's voice through the phone. _"My darling! It is so good to hear from you again. How are you doing, my love?"_ She had her lips pursed before whispering menacingly, "You betrayed me by giving away my hand, Dad. This marriage better be worth a lot more than what I am hearing, because otherwise, I will never forgive you." She heard her father sigh through the phone before whispering, " _You need to understand, Hayley that I did what had to be done for my family. I would let anyone suffer at the hands of Mikael, and I did it so that you could have a better future."_ "Klaus Mikaelson is the biggest asshole I have ever met. He thinks he's so clever and…ugh…he infuriates me! I would much rather have married the noble one. At least you can stand him!" She lowered her voice, afraid of who might hear her from upstairs.

 _"Now, now, you know that I don't agree with that kind of description, especially since Klaus is going to be your husband in a week."_ "You don't know that, Dad. Not after what Mikael has decided." _"I have spoken to Mikael today. We had another meeting and he told me that these tests are not hard ones. His intention is to have his sons married to keep his alliance with us. After what happened to Casper Roland…"_ "I know. I understand, but it's just hard for me. I can't pass this test, I really can't." _"Why can't you?"_ "Because you have refused to show me how to use a gun! You never let me get in anything Mafia involved and Mikael is smart to figure that out, don't worry." _"I order you to stop talking like that! You do what you need to do in order to pass this test or there will be loads to pay! Stay pleasant, let go of your attitude and follow those damn rules, Hayley. It will help you a lot. Just do as you're told. I know that you have authority issues but in our business…"_ "I am not you, Dad and I don't intend on continuing this charade any longer." _"If you are going to marry a mobster, you will be obliged to continue."_ Hayley's mouth parted a little, not having thought about this before she set foot in the Mikaelson home.

"What happened to what you told me, Dad, that after graduating university, I can live my life freely? What happened to that statement?" Her father didn't speak afterwards, making tears well up in Hayley's eyes. "I really have no future from now on, do I? I am going to marry this guy and his family will become my new family, right? When will I be able to come home? When will I be able to see you?" _"Only when your husband allows you to."_ "You never order Mother to…" _"We are not the Mikaelsons, Hayley."_ "Then you truly have sealed my fate, haven't you?" When there was no answer, Hayley took a deep breath, biting her lip to stop herself from sobbing loudly, before saying, "Okay. I will go through with this, for you, Daddy. I will try to pass this test for you…" _"Hayley, you will pass this test. Don't you worry, my dear!"_ "Don't my dear me." _"This is not a punishment."_ "It is for me." _"No. Just give it a couple of days, honey. Try to see things from a different perspective. See the part of the glass which is half full for once. Get to know your future husband. Who knows? You might surprise yourself and actually like him."_ "Like him? Are you crazy? Have you even met the guy? He's a stubborn, narcissistic and murderous lunatic! No wonder he is the best killer alongside his father!"

She could hear her father taking a deep breath on the other end. _"I give up…"_ "You should. There is nothing anyone can do to make me okay with this marriage happening. He doesn't want me to be his wife either. He prefers to spend his time drinking alcohol and get prostitutes in his bed. I really don't want to anger him that much as to deny him that just because he is marrying me. So, I have decided that I will marry him, just until this whole thing is settled and the Mikaelsons get their money back. And then I am going to ask Klaus for a divorce and things will go back to normal for me in my life and I can continue living freely." _"Hayley, I can assure you that you're making a mistake. I know that you are angry but I told you to look on the bright side of things. Just promise me that you will give it a chance before making such a decision. I am asking you from the bottom of my heart. I know that you are hurting after your break up with Jackson…and then I immediately encouraged you to accept a marriage proposition…I understand. It's too much. But it's a sacrifice that can bring you a lot of good in your life."_ Hayley bit her lip nervously at hearing Jackson's name through the phone. How was she to feel now? She knew what he did to her, but despite that, she really would have wanted him back now.

 _"Hayley, are you still in love with Jackson?"_ She didn't know what to say. Of course she hadn't told her parents what Jackson almost did to her. They would skin him alive and never let him go near her again, which was not what she wanted. She was hoping that he was right and one day, they would find each other again after all this drama with the stolen 500.000 dollars ends. Maybe he would have her back and she would accept him back again too. "I…it's not a question to which I have an exact answer to. Of course I still feel something for him. What we had was special and those feelings just don't go away like that…" _"But why have you broken up? Maybe if you hadn't, this wouldn't have happened."_ Hayley covered her mouth with her hand at the realization. What if her father was right? What if not accepting Jackson back into her life had been what had sealed her fate with this marriage? She just couldn't bear that thought. "Maybe. But the reason to our break up is difficult to understand and I don't feel comfortable sharing it with anyone, not even you, Dad." _"Alright. I have something I need to take care of right now…so you take care of yourself, and watch your attitude around there. I don't want to get in with Mikael because of you, honey, okay?"_ "Fine." _"And I meant what I said. Get to know your future husband."_ "When can I do that? He leaves in the morning and barely comes home until nighttime." _"Demand to spend time with him."_ "I can actually do that? I can demand something from him?" _"Not crossing the line or those rules, but yes. Not demand. Just ask."_

There was some noise which could be heard from upstairs and Hayley immediately startled, realizing that she had been down here in the basement for a while, and not for training as she couldn't find it in her heart to shoot a dummy. How could she shoot a real person? "Okay, Dad. I gotta go." _"Okay. Just remember that your mother and I love you very much and want to see you happy. Call me again when you have the time. I look forward to hearing about your improvement in shooting skills and of course, in your relationship with Klaus."_ "Don't get your hopes up." Hayley responded with a small smile on her face. _"I won't, but for your sake, I do hope things change around there. I love you."_ "I love you too, Dad. I have to go now. Bye." Hayley ended the call the moment she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She thought it was him. She thought that she would have no escape this time, but how wrong was she? Cami's smile could be seen, as she pulled the blonde curls from her face. "Hey, Hayley! What are you doing down here?"

Hayley placed her phone back in her pocket as she went towards her with a smile and her hands in her pockets. "Nothing. I was just looking around." Cami gave her a smirk. "Really? You were just looking around? You have been here for hours. Klaus has been here too. You think that I am really that clueless?" Hayley frowned for a moment, asking, "You enjoying spending your time spying on me around the house?" This wouldn't end well for her, especially if Camille overheard an important conversation with her father. "Take it easy. I wasn't spying on you. I am just bored out of my skin. I wanted to look around and I saw you headed towards the basement, but you apparently haven't left it. So what's the deal? Practicing for the big test?" She asked her and Hayley shook her head. "No. I told you. I was exploring the different parts of the house." "Oh…okay, fine, if you don't want to tell me…" "What do you expect me to say to you, Cami?" "The truth. I thought we were in on this together. Girls with girls stick together against all these assholes, remember? What happened to that?" "There are some things about my life which I prefer to keep a secret." "What does that have to do with anything? I too have secrets but I don't act the way you do. Is this about Klaus?"

"Maybe…" "Listen, you don't need to worry about a guy like him. I am really good at reading people and trust me, Klaus' all bark and no bite. You can argue with him all you want but he would never get physical with you. He doesn't seem like the type." Hayley smiled and shook her head. "I am not sure about that. He resembles Mikael more than any of the others. And you know how impulsive, violent and cruel Mikael can be. I am going to marry his favorite son. Just imagine how Klaus will act with me, the same way Mikael acts with Esther." "Have you ever seen Mikael treat Esther badly?" "I suppose not, but…" "So, you have nothing to worry about. I should worry more about Elijah." "Why? What is he like?" "Too quiet and self-preserving. I am guessing he has lots of secrets to hide, some he tries desperately to hide from me. We barely talk." "You want to talk with him?" "If I am going to marry the guy, I have to get to know him at first, right? He refuses to let me in." There was a moment of silence as footsteps could be heard from above and Hayley's skin prickled. "Do you think they can hear us?" she whispered to the blonde next to her and Cami shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I think this room is soundproof if it is used to practice shooting. So…" She picked up a gun and handed it to her. "Why don't you show me what you got and this way, we can kill some time together?" Hayley shook her head with a smile. "Maybe some other time. I am not comfortable right now."

"Are you sure? I would have loved us to become shooting buddies, practicing every day." "I don't need to practice." Hayley said at once, knowing that she was laying it on thick. Cami smiled and rolled her eyes. "Alright, you can show off if you want to. I don't judge you. Your dad is a pretty good shooter. I think I am going to take a whack at it." With that, Cami pointed the gun to the dummy and shot the bullet straight through its head, making Hayley's eyes widen in shock. She tried to catch her breath, knowing that Cami's good intentions of trying to cheer her up were going to get her all worked up. "Okay. I think I am going to go and check on Davina. Are you sure you are going to be fine here, Mrs. Future Mikaelson?" Cami asked with a smirk. "It really is no joke." "I am just trying to lighten the mood a little bit, Hayley. The stress does not help, trust me. I studied lots of psychology." "I'm impressed you do that, bartending and you work your way up to becoming a professional mobster. Not to mention your hobby…writing poetry." "What can I say? A girl like me has to keep herself busy, especially if she is barely going to see her future husband." Hayley couldn't help but see a sad smile on her face as she walked back up the stairs and out of the basement.

…

He slammed the door shut after him and running a hand through his hair in frustration at both Rebekah and Hayley. At that moment, Kol came downstairs with a somewhat grin on his face, as he arranged his "sexy outfit", as he would like to put it. Klaus stared at him for a moment and when Kol finally noticed him, he started getting uncomfortable. "Nik! What are you doing here, man?" "Funny thing, brother. I was about to ask you the same question. Aren't you supposed to be with your future bride-to-be?" "Not really. She said she wants to be alone so I'm giving the darling some space. I don't k now why the hell she would act as if she is terrified of me. It cracks me up, but also disturbs me." He moved to the door, but Klaus had already grabbed him by the neck collar and growled, "If you are going where I think you're going…" "Hey, Charlene is free tonight. I need to get laid. If that little darling up there is not going to give me what I want…too bad for her." He tried to move again but Klaus wouldn't let him. "Are you seriously planning on breaking Father's rules?" "You only care about them because he sees you as the favorite son. I am his speck of dust. Now, get out of my way!"

When Klaus refused, Kol pulled out the gun that he has been keeping in his black pants and held it up towards him, but Klaus was quick and he pulled out his own gun. He smirked, "You didn't really believe that you were the only one with a gun on you, did you, Kol?" They stared at one another for a moment, not breaking eye contact. "So, what…you're going to shoot me now?" Kol asked through gritted teeth. "Are you?" Klaus asked back. Kol simply smirked and put away his gun, as Klaus did the same. "Come on, bro! Just this once. You have no idea what a bitch she is being. I need some action and Charlene is more than willing…" "Fine!" Klaus snapped and his thoughts went to Hayley and her attitude towards him earlier. He put his hand on his brother's shoulder and whispered, "I know exactly what you mean." Smiling, Kol left the house. Klaus felt absolutely no remorse for encouraging him, keeping himself in check as Finn and Sophie came downstairs. Klaus rolled his eyes as he heard them arguing. "I don't even want to see him calling again, do you understand me?" Finn growled at her.

"Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what to do?" "Well, if you are so eager to know…I am going to be your husband." "Kaleb has been my friend for as long as I can remember. You cannot forbid me from seeing my friends or my family." "Just as long as he keeps his dirty paws off my wife…" "I am not your wife!" Sophie snapped back. Finn frowned and stepped closer to her, whispering, "Yet." In her face, before storming away. Sophie stomped back upstairs to her room, screaming hysterically. Klaus chuckled and realized that she was lucky Mother was not home and neither was Father. They would have never heard the end of it. "What's going on around here? Why is everyone screaming?" Rebekah asked as she stepped over to her brother with a smile on her face. Klaus was not smiling back.

At once, he grabbed her hand and they headed to her room. "Hey! What the hell, Nik?!" "Where were you?" "What are you talking about?" "You were out without my consent. Where?" "Why do you think that I must get permission from you to go anywhere? I can do what I want!" "Not as long as I am around and Father has left me in charge. Tell me the truth, Bekah." Rebekah stared at his angry face for a moment, knowing well that he knew something about her and gasped, whispering, "How did you find out?" Klaus shrugged. "I happened to be walking around when I heard your whispering, and imagine my surprised when I saw you lip-locking with Marcel Gerard of all people!" "Nik, please. You can't tell Father about this. Please, don't do this to me." "Why wouldn't I tell him?" "Because you're my brother and I love you. And I know that you want what is best for me." "And what is best for you is to stay away from that man. He is using you." "No! Marcel and I love each other." "I know that. He has given me quite a declaration of love when I confronted him, and he also had the audacity to give me lectures on true love and true happiness. I suppose I have you to thank for that. How long have you told him family secrets?"

"I have never said anything to him that could affect our family. I can't believe that you won't trust me on that. I love him, Nik and that is not going to change even if you found out." "Not even a little? Not even if I do decide to tell Father?" "Do what you want, but just note that I would have never done something like this to you if you had found true happiness with someone and Marcel is my happiness." "He is the son of the two people Father hates more than losing money!" Rebekah was on the verge of crying as she shook her head, "You don't know him. Please, brother, just deal with your life and let me deal with mine." "Are you asking me to let you walk on a path of destruction." "You don't know what kind of path I am walking on. You should be worried about yourself and your happiness, Nik." "I have had just about enough of you lecturing me about happiness!" he snapped at her with a raised voice, which finally made the tears from her eyes fall. "Get help for yourself, not for others, Nik." She whispered in a sad voice, before turning around and leaving the room. Klaus groaned as he realized how he had managed to push a dear person away from him again.

…

The door to the house opened and Mikael stepped inside with Esther behind him. "I am glad they decided on chemotherapy." She whispered with a sad smile, but Mikael grabbed her hand, forcing her inside and pressing a firm kiss on her lips, after which he growled, "It is not something to be joyful about. You don't need this sort of operation. What you need is a lung transplant and I am going to get it for you, whatever it takes." "But, Mikael…" She touched his cheek, comfortingly, "…that money is not ours to take. It belongs to our whole community. If you want it to get me a transplant, just tell your partners the truth." "I don't trust them!" "And yet they trusted you to hand their daughters over to your sons. What does that say about you that you won't tell something as simple as me needing a lung transplant?" She touched her chest for a moment, panicking Mikael, as she recovered saying, "Just some chest pains. I'll be fine." "No, you won't. I am no longer going to stand here quietly and watch you drift away. We have a new lead." "Who?" "The Geralds." "Mikael, no. The Geralds have been at peace with this for years. I don't think…"

"They have not been at peace. They have hated our family that they couldn't join us." "Why didn't you allow them that privilege? Why didn't you allow them to be a part of our Board?" Esther needed to know her husband's answer, especially where Rebekah and her hidden relationship with Marcel was concerned. She promised to cover for her daughter, but not for long. "Richard Gerald and I have had a slight misunderstanding in the past." "What kind of misunderstanding? Please, tell me the truth." "It is not a matter that concerns you, my wife. For now, we shall think about this, but I need to focus on keeping my alliances strong and that is through these marriages." "So, why wait? Get our sons married soon." "I cannot do that. Not before they are tested and they shall be tested, mark my words." Before Esther could respond, Klaus came downstairs and stopped in mid-track, seeing his parents. "Father…I wish to speak to you about something." "Your mother and I are busy, Niklaus." "It is about my future wife." Klaus told him firmly and their eyes met. "Very well. We shall meet in your room." Klaus bowed his head and headed there as Mikael planted a kiss on Esther's forehead. "Have faith in me, like you always have and I promise you that everything is going to be okay." When she nodded, he felt at easy and squeezed her hands before heading upstairs to meet his son.

Mikael closed the door behind him and looked at him. "So, tell me. What is this about, Niklaus?" "Hayley." Klaus responded and Mikael nodded. "Yes, I know that. You told me. What about her?" "It was her, the woman I met that night at the party at Rousseau's." Klaus replied. Mikael's lips parted. He wasn't too surprised at hearing this news, seeing as he had suspected it since he found out Jack's daughter's name was Hayley. "She lied to you. You told me her name was Hayley Mitchel. Why did she lie to you about her name? You know I do not tolerate…" "Father!" Klaus exclaimed to stop him, suddenly remembering her pleading with him, not to tell Mikael. Klaus scrunched his eyebrows, unsure of what to say now that he had his father's full attention. He gulped and whispered, "I misunderstood." He finally said which made Mikael even more confused. "What do you mean? What did you misunderstand?" "I believe she did say she was Hayley Marshall, but I must have had a little bit too much to drink and thought she said Mitchel, not Marshall." Klaus believed this was a believable story. He couldn't believe that he was defending the girl who hated him, whom he was forced to marry.

"Niklaus, I don't recall you ever been drunk. Tipsy, perhaps, but not drunk. Is that what you were implying? I was there at the party, son and you have never seemed drunk." Mikael replied after a moment, getting suspicious. "No. I am pretty sure that I was tipsy, which is why I misunderstood when she pronounced her last name. Now, I am starting to understand why she was acting that way towards me." "What way? With spite? A Marshall?" "No. She was intrigued and surprised, so I guess that she was confused somehow that I didn't recognize her." Klaus' lies were getting bigger and bigger. He was lying to his father, something he had never done before, and he couldn't understand why. Why was he doing it? For her? She had been nothing but a stuck-up little wolf to him, so why help her? Why not tell Father the truth that she lied to him? He didn't want to see her suffer more than she already did. That must be the answer. Mikael stared at him for a moment, deciding to bury his suspicions for the respect he held for his son. He knew that Niklaus would never lie to him about something like this. "Son, it is no coincidence that I matched you up with Hayley Marshall. I trust her father, and he has produced quite an amazing daughter. She is the most beautiful, very smart, and has the same cunning and charming personality as you do. I can imagine she must be a great fighter too. She graduated Harvard Medical School early. Can you imagine? Only the best for my best son."

Klaus nodded, unsure of how to feel about hearing all of this. How much did he want Hayley to be his? She was stubborn, she was too serious for his tastes, she found him repulsive, even though she too is the daughter of mobsters, not to mention that he was way fonder of blondes. Brunettes, he could never understand them. Mikael continued speaking, snapping him out of his trance, "I want you to make this marriage between you and this girl work. No romance is necessary, just trust and obedience is to be imposed and of course, she has to learn how to respect the rules I have set down for the Mikaelson wives in this family." Klaus smirked and shook his head. "I doubt that she likes respecting these rules." "Then manipulate her into doing it." "She cannot be manipulated." "Then try harder. She must learn to accommodate herself here, because this will be her home from now on. Do you understand me, my son?" "Yes." Mikael nodded and whispered, "I suppose this discussion of ours has been resourceful. I shall retire with your Mother in our chamber. I do trust you, Niklaus, and I hope that trust will never be broken, no matter what." Klaus felt a hole in his heart as he responded, "Yes, Father."

…

She had given him a text that she had arrived and Elijah couldn't contain his excitement to see her again after so many months she had been gone. He entered the church, where she had said she would be. "Mr. Elijah Mikaelson! It is a surprise to see you here!" Kieran O'Connell exclaimed, as she stepped over to him and Elijah smiled politely. "I must admit that I haven't seen you in church for a long while. Here to clear your thoughts?" Kieran asked, as Elijah thought about Gia, and whispered, "Yes, I suppose you can say that." "Ah, then rest assured that this is the perfect place for that. I am actually waiting for my niece to arrive." "Camille?" "Oh no. Gia." Elijah nodded, and then Kieran asked, "How is Cami with you, by the way? I hope she is treating you well and not making any trouble. She does have her tendencies of forgetting what is important for silly literature and her useless violin practice." Elijah frowned at his comments for a moment, finding Camille's hobbies quite fascinating for a change. Kieran's smile disappeared. "Have I said something wrong?" "No, not at all." "So, she is not being any trouble for you? If she is, I can…" "Camille is just fine, thank you for your concern, Father Kieran." Kieran nodded and went to answer his phone, as Elijah contemplated around the church.

He had been sitting on one of the benches for an hour now, annoyed at the very idea that he had to wait so long for her to arrive, and she never did. His father would never agree to him being out so long for his own pleasure. Elijah knew that he had family duties to attend to, so finally, he pulled out his phone and searched for her new phone number, dialing it. After a couple of rings, she answered, with a giggle and a shush. Elijah frowned, believing that there was bad phone reception in the church. "Gia, can you hear me?" There was a pause and some more weird noises coming from the other end, Gia's giggle and her whispering softly, _"Get out."_ There was a slam of the door and he could finally hear her voice. _"Elijah, hi!"_ Elijah frowned and whispered, "Hello. What is going on there? Where are you?" _"Oh yeah, about that…um…I have decided that I need to stay in New York a little while longer."_ Elijah's eyebrows raised in surprise, "Is that so? And when were you planning on telling me about this? What if I hadn't called you right now? You would have kept me waiting? You seemed to be quite busy there. What was going on, Gia?"

 _"Nothing. I was just with a friend of mine. Listen, I was planning on calling you but this was a last minute thing, and then I got caught up with Bob…"_ "Who is Bob?" Elijah immediately demanded, putting his free hand in his pocket, and walking around the church. _"Bob is the friend I was talking about. I know I upset you, and trust me, it was not my intention because I know that you have a lot going on…"_ "What do you know?" Elijah asked, feeling his heart leap inside of his chest at the thought of her probably knowing that he was marrying her sister. _"I heard that business is rough with that stolen money now."_ Gia responded and Elijah realized that she still didn't know. If he were to tell her the truth now, she would never come back and he was looking forward to seeing her, at least once more. "I will be waiting for you when you get back." He finally said with a sigh, as he heard her breathe with relief. _"Great. I can't wait to catch up."_ With that, she hung up the phone, and Elijah remained with his phone pressed to his ear, deep in thought. Something was going on with her. He just knew it. Father Kieran stepped towards him after a while and asked, "Is everything alright?" "Yes, of course. I shall be going now. Goodbye." Elijah responded, knowing well that Father Kieran had never known about Elijah's past relationship with Gia. No one knew about it.

…

Klaus' eyes opened wide in the morning, as he heard a small noise, coming from her room, next door. He got out of bed and pressed his ear against the wall, hearing footsteps. He smirked, pulling off his robe and then putting on his normal dark jeans, with a black t-shirt and his regular leather pendants. Opening the door to his room slowly, he noticed her leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her, but she hadn't noticed her. Intrigued, Klaus followed her downstairs, noticing that she was heading into the basement. He opened the door after her and noticed her taking off her sweater, revealing a jet black sleeve-less shirt, and sports pants. His eyes widened when he saw her more exposed figure. "Not bad." He whispered to himself and then watched her steady herself and throw in punch to the huge sack, dangling in front of her. After a couple more minutes, he took a deep breath and headed downstairs fully, but she didn't hear him, as she was focusing on throwing more punches into the sack. No longer able to contain himself, he placed his hands on her hips and she immediately stopped moving with a small gasp, as his lips found her ear. "You certainly know how to work out, little wolf." She turned around, but he still held onto her with a smirk on his face, at her reaction. "Let go of me." She growled through clenched teeth. "I don't think so." Klaus responded, ready to tease her to hell. He enjoyed making her squirm in his arms and have her give him dirty looks.

"Let go of me." She said again but in a much calmer voice as his hands moved through her shirt and touched her bare skin. She felt his cold fingers on her back, making her shiver as they moved slowly and teasingly, but she wouldn't let him have all the control. "Make me." Klaus whispered, clearly open for a fight, but not necessarily a physical one. Hayley accepted the challenge, ready to take action, but the fingers crawling around on her bare back were making it impossible for her to concentrate and he noticed that, continuing his movement. Finally, catching him off guard, Hayley threw a punch close to his face but he grabbed her hand just before it could touch his face. There was a frown on his face, not liking to be caught off guard like that. Hayley smirked at him but it quickly faded the moment he grabbed a hold of her hips and slammed her down on the ground, landing on top of her and pining her down. "What is wrong with you?" she growled, breathing in deeply and getting uncomfortable at their close proximity. "Nothing at all, little wolf. I am simply admiring your fighting skills." With that, he got up from her and stretched out his hand and she took it, gladly.

He wanted her sweep dirt off of her pants, and asked, "May I ask what you are doing here before breakfast?" "I need to train." Hayley whispered and moved back to the sack, throwing in a few good punches before stopping and turning to him with an angry look on her face. "What? Now, you care?" Klaus raised his eyebrows and shook his head, "I have no idea what you are talking about." "You don't get to be an arrogant asshole like yesterday and then expect me to be okay with it today. That is not the way it works with me." Klaus moved again behind her and ran his hands over her own, as she was trying to punch the sack again. "What is wrong with you? Why are you touching me like this?" "I am simply thinking about all the ways in which you are going to make it up to me for protecting your secret from my father." Her breathing hitched as she turned around to face him again. "What are you talking about? What did you say to him?" "Let's just say that I played with the truth a little. I knew that he was already suspecting that we met before, and I did mention me meeting someone called Hayley Mitchel the day after the party. I simply told him that I misunderstood and that you told me your name was Hayley Marshall." Hayley blinked after a moment of staring at him and whispered, "And he bought that?" "Of course he did."

"Heck, I wouldn't have bought that!" Hayley snapped at him and Klaus chuckled, "You don't know how much my father trusts me in this family because I had never lied to him before. This was a first." "And?" Hayley asked, crossing her hands on her chest. "You should be thanking me." "Thank you." Hayley replied truthfully, and then turned back to punching the sack, trying hard not to look at her gun, which was placed on the table. She hadn't reached that point…and she didn't believe she ever would. He held onto her arm again and made her roll her eyes, as he whispered, "It is not enough." "Yes, it is! I am not in your debt." "As a matter of fact, you are, and there is something you can do for me…" "No!" Klaus looked at her, confused, never having a woman say no to him like that before. Taking another deep breath, he crossed his hands over his chest as he observed her and whispered, "Then how about I propose you a deal?" At that, Hayley stopped battling with what she was doing and faced him. "What sort of deal?" Klaus rubbed his finger over his stubble and replied, "It is quite simply actually. I shall agree to help you train for my father, since it seems that it is very important to you that you pass a meaningless test…and in return, you shall no longer defy the rules that my mother has imposed for you, and you will not neglect me in this alliance. Are we understood?"

Hayley thought for a moment about the advantages of having someone like Klaus train her. But how could she allow him to do that, without letting him believe that he doesn't know anything about shooting or fighting against someone, much less a mobster? She bit her lip, nervously, as he stared deep into her eyes. She knew she hated him for his guts, for his annoying yet charming personality, for being a jerk to her…but she couldn't deny that there were times in which she felt drawn to him for a reason. She thought about what her father had told her on the phone, to give him a chance. She also thought about what Rebekah told her about him. What would be the harm in trying to make this work, seeing as she had no way out of this marital situation? "Okay. We have a deal." She told him, which sent a smirk on his face.

 **A/N: Stopping here for now. How did you like this chapter? Next chapter will focus more on the Klayley, Camlijah, Kolvina and Sophinn relationships, I promise you. What do you think about Gia and the fact that she bailed on Elijah?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews to let me know what you think!**


	9. Someone Like You

**In the previous chapter, Klaus confronted Rebekah's relationship with Marcel, with no results as we got more insight on Hayley's secret conversation with her father, and the bond Cami is trying to form with Hayley. Gia bailed on Elijah, as Mikael found out part of the truth about Hayley from his son, as Klaus claimed he had lied to his father for the first time for the girl he will marry. Finally, Klaus and Hayley made a deal that would benefit them both.**

* * *

 **PLOT: After another full family dinner, Hayley remains conflicted about whether or not she should let Klaus train her, after displeasing him and knowing the consequences possibly applied on both of them if Mikael found out. As Camille finally pours her heart out to him, for no reason, Elijah does something unexpected for her, which motivates her to bring both of them some peace of mind. Davina remains paralyzed at the very idea of Kol's sexual nature, as she catches him doing something unforgivable. Meanwhile, Sophie shows up at Kaleb's door, unknowing of Finn following her. At last, Klaus and Hayley find themselves in an awkward position as Hayley sets down the rules for their secret deal.**

* * *

 _"It is quite simply actually. I shall agree to help you train for my father, since it seems that it is very important to you that you pass a meaningless test…and in return, you shall no longer defy the rules that my mother has imposed for you, and you will not neglect me in this alliance. Are we understood?"_ Hayley felt as if she had made a deal with the devil himself. Klaus Mikaelson was going to be the one training her for the test his father would throw her into. She started wondering at that moment if Klaus knew what the test was, and exactly what she had to do. Surely Mikael would share with his sons, especially his favorite son. At the moment, it was nighttime and after a long day of exploring the house, training in the basement and reading in the library, it was time for the family dinner. Esther had proposed that they all ate stake with mashed potatoes and dressed salads. There were also first courses, fruits and deserts. Hayley had plenty to choose from the table, seeing that the cooks were doing their job all day, preparing for the night when they would serve the Mikaelsons. They didn't mind working so much, seeing as they were generously paid by Mikael.

She had also noticed Esther getting a lot of chest pains this day and Hayley couldn't help but wonder if she was having some sort of medical problems. She was thinking of asking her about them, thinking that it would win her points with Klaus' mother if she tried to look concerned for family problems, or even curious, but then she remembered how much Esther hates people who ask her questions, especially those who are not her family, so Hayley decided to remain quiet and have Rebekah tend to her needs. Klaus had been pleased to her accepting their deal and Hayley couldn't help but wonder why he would care if she accepted him and his rules in their future marriage or not. It was clear that he was displeased with being forced into a marriage so why would he care about their upcoming nuptials? Hayley was standing in front of the mirror, wearing a red dress for tonight's dinner. Esther had demanded that they all would be wearing something formal, since it would be the first time in a long time that Mikael was free and as head of the Mafia Family, he would join them for dinner. She was nervous, knowing that Mikael's tests would be the main subjects during the meal that night.

"My, my! Don't you look fetching, little wolf!" He was at the door and commented as he leaned against it with his hands crossed over his chest. He was checking her out, as Hayley finished curling her hair and put on the ruby earrings Rebekah had been so kind as to give her, to match her dress. Hayley looked in the mirror at him and then rolled her eyes at his attempts to woe her again, as he did in the training room. He moved closer to her, when he received no verbal reaction from her, of any sorts, and pulled out a black box from his pocket and Hayley immediately recognized it as jewelry. She turned as Klaus touched her shoulder and he opened the box, revealing to her an exquisite diamond necklace. "No, I don't think so." She immediately said, surprising him once again, as he touched the necklace with his fingers. "I had it custom-made for you, with the appropriate jewels that are to be worn by my future Queen." There was a charming smirk playing on his face again, and Hayley returned it. "You think laying the charm this thick is going to make me like you? Why are you so desperate, Klaus?" This remark angered him as a frown appeared on his face and the smirk disappeared.

"I am in no way desperate, little wolf! It is you who craves for my attention and acceptance." He said in order to cover himself. At that moment, Hayley burst into laughter, covering her mouth and replying, "Are you serious? You claim that I am the one who doesn't leave you alone? You have been stalking me today, Klaus. You have been watching everything I did, don't think that I didn't notice, okay. So, what is the deal with that? Spying on me for your father? Offering me compliments and jewelry in order to weaken me and manipulate me into thinking that you care about this marriage. No. I know this has something to do with Mikael. So, I don't accept gifts which do not come from the heart. I thought that you should know that." He stared at her back for a moment, as she turned around and continued adding the last touches of make up in her mirror, and he closed the jewelry box, muttering, "A Mikaelson wife is not allowed to question her husband's actions, of any kind, displeasing him. Rule Nr. 2, little wolf, and the moment you become my wife…you shall face the consequences for breaking all of these rules. Do not doubt that these consequences won't offer me any sort of pleasure, because they will…little wolf." Hayley knew better than to be intimidated by him, but she couldn't help the shivers that went up her spine, when she felt his breathing angrily onto her neck, prickling her skin.

Hayley finally found the courage to look through the mirror into his cold eyes and saw that he was waiting for a response from her. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Jewelry does not earn anything from me, Klaus. Please note that." Not knowing what to say about him reminding her of the rules she still is forced to follow around the house. He had not informed Esther of the way she had been constantly breaking these rules, even though he was angry at her for doing so, so why not tell his mother? Why protect her when she was giving him no reason to? Klaus continued to look at her for a moment, before running his fingers slowly on her empty neck, admiring her curves, held gracefully by the dress she was wearing. She excited him, without a doubt, and realized that with the way she felt about him now…she would never let him touch her, and he would never force himself on anyone, making him look dirty. No. He was planning on waiting for that night, their consummation night, and the night when she would have no choice but to submit. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in her scent, thinking about the way he would have her…make her his wife. Finally, his eyes snapped open as they both heard movement downstairs. Hayley looked paralyzed from their intense moment, her eyes still fixated on the mirror, as he grabbed a hold of her hand and said firmly, "I am to escort you to dinner."

…

He grabbed her hand roughly and Hayley realized from the cold glare his offered each and every one of his brothers, that he was unpleased with her attitude towards him. Well, that was her, and he had to accept her now. But she also realized that she had to accept him as her husband. It was part of their deal. He would help her, if she became cooperative, but Hayley didn't know how well that could go for them. Taking a deep breath, she looked to see Camille, being held by Elijah and she was looking stunning in her green dress. They offered each other kind smiles, before meeting up with Sophie and Finn, but also Kol and Davina. Hayley couldn't help but notice that Davina had tears in her eyes, and Sophie was throwing Finn dirty looks whenever he was not looking. That made Hayley wonder if Mikael really has made the right match for his sons. What if the women they were with was not their best match? What if she wasn't the person made to be the wife of someone like Klaus? Even Rebekah had admitted his issues to her. Now, Hayley was beginning to realize how right his sister truly was about him. He was a complicated man, with still so much mystery left inside of him…the kind that intrigued her greatly.

Mikael entered the dining room with Esther clinging onto his arm. They were looking absolutely gorgeous together, Esther in a yellow gown, with diamond earrings and a matching diamond necklace to hide some red itchiness from her neck. Mikael was wearing a tux and his hair was gelled. "I welcome you all to this fine meal, my sons, and my future daughters-in-law. Please, let's have a seat!" he exclaimed and moved to the end of the table, as Esther moved to the other end. Finn, Sophie, Kol and Davina took their seats on the right, as Klaus, Hayley, Elijah and Camille on the left, as Rebekah shared a seat with Esther at the end of the table too, in order to help her, like she always did. The servants immediately walked inside with the first courses. It smelled absolutely delicious. Hayley looked towards Klaus and noticed that he was doing his best to avoid eye contact with her. For that one moment, she felt bad about rejecting his gift. Who was she to know that gift was not one that could offer them peace in their future relationship? Maybe it was his way of showing her that he was willing to try. But the question is, was she willing to try too? She groaned softly as she remembered the deal. She needed his help, of course she did, but that meant giving him a chance, something she really wished she was not forced into. "How was your day today, Niklaus?" Mikael asked and there was silence, as the servants retreated.

Hayley's eyes finally met his and she saw coldness in his as Klaus replied, "Productive." Accomplishments, Hayley thought to herself. It was a Mikaelson rule that no day should go by without any accomplishments and every night when they would have dinner with the head of the family, they would have to explain all of these accomplishments. Rebekah pursed her lips as she watched the two. "Can you be more specific?" Mikael asked him with a slight smirk and Hayley's heart started beating faster, afraid of what he was going to say. At that moment, Klaus grabbed her hand from under the table and placed it with his own on it, rubbing his thumb softly across it and making her heart leap inside of her chest. For that one moment, Hayley believed that this was truly what he wanted to do, but then her smile disappeared from her face as she realized that everyone was watching the sudden movement and Klaus whispered, "I believe you made the right choice father, when you have offered Hayley to me." That brought a broad smile on Mikael's face, as he seemed pleased with himself. "Never doubt my judgement, Niklaus." "I never have and never will, Father." Klaus responded with the same grin. As Mikael moved on to Elijah, Klaus released her hand, but Hayley left it on the table, staring at him as he started eating, and pretending as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

As Mikael continued interrogating his other children, Hayley continued to look at him, when he finally noticed and turned to her. "What?" "You sure like to use me, don't you? To please your father of your so-called accomplishments?" The cold glare from before had once again reappeared, making Hayley nervous of what he might say, when they were clearly not alone and the rest of the family members could hear them. "My father expects our relationship to function. I suggest that you keep yourself in check, little wolf, because this is the second time I refrained myself from exposing your lies and your neglect for the rules imposed by the leader of this family." She pursed her lips as he looked away from her and Mikael finished interrogating his children, saying, "I suppose we should simply enjoy our fantastic meal." Just as the servants brought in the main course. Esther started eating her spaghetti before saying, "I do hope you girls have managed to memorize all of the rules given to you by the book." At this, Cami caught Hayley's eye and she rolled her eyes, whispering, "You have to be kidding me." Making Hayley giggle softly. Esther turned to her and exclaimed, "Hayley, I see that you are feeling enthusiastic today! Even the serious matters make you laugh." All eyes were on her, as Klaus growled under his breath.

Hayley bit her lip, knowing that Klaus was angry with her. Esther set down her fork and asked, "Let's say…that you are pregnant and of course, you tend to have your sexual desires, just as your husband normally does. You go to him just as he comes to you when he needs the pleasure. Do you consider it as violating a rule or not?" Rebekah smiled lightly and stated, "Mother, we are trying to eat here." "I know. I simply wish to hear her answer." All eyes were on Hayley once again, as she slowly chewed her spaghetti. She knew what she had to say, she was not stupid, but she hated doing that, seeing the disgust on Sophie's face whenever she looked at Finn, or seeing Davina on the verge of tears whenever Kol was mentioned. With courage, Hayley spoke up. "I don't believe that a true rule of society is violated at this point, considering that we are in the 21st century and women have just as many rights as men do. But if you are asking about the rule imposed in this particular family, it is degreed that a Mikaelson wife if not allowed to touch her husband unless asked to or allowed, by said husband, according to Rule Nr. 1. Unfortunately, like I said, it does not apply in this particular era." Hayley stopped talking, as Esther stared at her with her eyes showing shock, as he fork dropped on the plate from her hand. Mikael stopped chewing, Davina's mouth made an O, Cami looked like it was Christmas Morning, as Klaus was staring at his future bride-to-be as if she had lost her mind.

"I see." Was all Esther could muster up to say, as they resumed eating. Hayley finally had the courage to loom up after a couple more minutes only to notice that Mikael was staring at her, but with no emotion on his face, reminding her of the way Klaus looked at her when she first stepped into this mansion. Had she said something that she would later regret saying? That was something which truly confused her to the maximum. She turned to see the look on Klaus' face, which showed nothing but surprise. The good news for her was that the frown from his face was gone. "I would also love to inform you that you have two more days until you shall be tested. That would mean that on Friday, there's the ultimate test and on Saturday night, the weddings. It shall be a big event, and the press is going to be everywhere, snapping photos and making short videos of you all night long. Make sure that you keep yourselves pleasant at all times. I feel as if I must warn you in advance." With that, Mikael threw Kol a dirty look, knowing his ways when he parties with lots of booze. Hayley finally found her courage as she leaned in and whispered in Klaus' ear, "Is the deal we made still on?" She noticed that he looked surprised at such a tender gesture of hers. Their eyes met for a moment before he nodded, without saying anything else to her.

…

Camille woke up on Wednesday morning, with a rested look on her face as the sun was streaming from the windows. It was really warm, which is why she had decided not to wear anything for the entire night. She slowly stood up, but a loud squeak escaped her mouth the moment she saw Elijah standing there, in his regular day suit, writing something at her desk. He looked up the moment he heard the noise she made and noticed that she was trying to cover herself up with the duvet, as she was naked. He averted his eyes from her and whispered, "Pardon me, Camille." "What are you doing here?" she asked. She then looked closely at her desk and noticed that he had been writing in her personal notebook. "Hey!" she exclaimed and stood up, with the duvet still covering her naked body and pulled herself over to him, taking the notebook and looking at her finished poem, with changes made by him, as well as many things crossed out in red. "What do you think you're doing? This is my personal notebook! No one is allowed to see what is in this, much less write in it!" Her face showed anger and frustration. On the other hand, Elijah looked very calm at her outburst, as if he was clearly expecting that.

"Please, do pardon my manners, Camille…" "Cami!" she snapped almost at once and he looked at her, confused. "I beg your pardon?" "My name is Cami. I don't enjoy…my full name." Elijah looked at her without blinking for a couple of moments before folding his hands on her desk and looking at her in the eyes. "And why is that? It happens to be a very beautiful name. People with this name tend to initiate events, to be leaders rather than followers, with powerful personalities. Does that characterize you?" She couldn't believe that he was asking her something like this. She whispered, "Please, do not look through my notebook again. You may be my future husband but I…I don't need to share everything with you." She grabbed her notebook and went back to the bed as he stood up and followed her. "I recall that you have a rule stating that you cannot keep the truth from your husband." "Yeah, well, these rules are simply to make a mockery of women, and Hayley was right last night about them." Elijah smiled at her from behind, but his smile faded a little, as he thought about Gia. She had not come back to New Orleans the way she said she would. She had no idea that he would soon be married to the half-sister she almost never mentioned and most importantly, Camille had no idea of his previous relationship with her sister.

Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "I believe that there is something we should talk about." Cami held the duvet on her tightly, making sure that it wouldn't fall and expose her naked body to him. "About our future marriage? Don't worry. I know what my place will be in your life and I would appreciate that you don't treat me like a speck of dust or as if I am not even your wife. I am not asking for much, just a little recognition, if we are ever going to develop some sort of platonic relationship." He looked at her for a moment and saw that tears were welling up in her eyes. "I know that you saw my uncle when you were out yesterday. What did he say about me? Did he insult me? Did he give you the impression that I am a pain in the ass?" A tear slid down on her cheek, but her eyes immediately hardened and she wiped it away, refusing to show such feelings in front of him, for the loveless relationship she had with all of her family members. It was the reason why she clung onto Marcel for so long. She was hoping to feel something…to feel safe for once in her life, to make herself feel like she was wanted by someone. Elijah's heart tightened as he watched her and he took a deep breath, before moving forward to her, and cupping her cheek lightly. She was surprised at his soft touch.

He opened his mouth, ready to say what he wanted to say to her since the moment he found out that she was going to be his wife. He wanted to tell her about what he shared with Gia, not too long ago, before she left the city. He wanted her to know, but looking down at her already heartbroken face, he knew that telling her now, would only bring her more damage. He finally shook his head and said softly, "I want to apologize for writing in your notebook. I understand better now what it means for you, believe me, I do." She saw that her eyes showed warmth now instead of anger, as they had before. She had stopped crying, but the sadness was still there. Elijah finally pulled his hand from her face, and added, "I know mean to help you with your poetry." Her eyes now showed confusion as she uttered, "What…what do you mean?" "I am well advanced in literature, Camille. I may be able to help you with this and offer you step-by-step instructions on how you should write your poems." She frowned for a moment and crossed her hands over her chest, ready to say something but Elijah cut her off. "I am not criticizing you, or saying that what you haven't done so far isn't good, I am simply offering you a chance to grow, and to improve. I have to admit that I am impressed with your writing, seeing as this is simply a hobby for you."

Cami pulled the duvet closer to her skin as she whispered, "You don't have to do this because you feel guilty for some reason…or because of your pity for me…" "There is no pity!" Elijah said at once, seeming revolted by the very idea that this was the reason why he would agree to do this for her. Cami looked into his eyes and slowly nodded, "Okay, then. I accept your offer. What should I do for you in return?" she asked her and Elijah whispered, "What makes you think you have to do anything at all?" "I am supposed to appreciate your kindness to me…" "…as if I would not show it often? Is that what you truly think of me?" Elijah asked her. She looked away, not wishing to say anything wrong. He nodded and said, "Very well then. I should leave you to take a shower, before I can escort you to breakfast." He left the room before she could say anything after him.

...

Sophie pulled some regular clothes on, peeking inside of his room and noticing that he was asleep. This was her chance to leave. Taking her bag with her phone, she hurried out of the mansion that morning, making sure that she didn't wake anyone up. She mustered up the courage to leave for the first time since she got into that mansion with the Mikaelsons. She could see anyone she wanted now, and she could ask Jane Anne about the business. Sophie realized that she needed help from Mikael and his idiotic plans but her sister had always refused to help her with everything Mafia involved, seeing as she was working for a secret agency herself. She stopped on Bourbon Street, noticing that Rousseau's was opening up just now by…Jane Anne! Her mouth dropped a little, as she couldn't believe that her sister was still here in the city. From what she knew, she had to leave. Looking over, she noticed a second person inside, just the one she wanted to see. Kaleb. Smiling, she entered the bar, shocking both of them as she flung her arms around Kaleb and pulled him in for a hug. "I missed you so much." She whispered with a small smile on her face as Kaleb pulled her off.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to be here?" he asked her as Jane Anne watched. Sophie frowned. "Is that all you have to say to me. We haven't seen each other since…" She stopped, not wanting her sister to know the truth about them. Kaleb ran his hand through his hair as he held her hand with the other. "Yeah, about that, Soph…we should talk really." "Are you okay with letting us talk, Jane Anne?" Sophie asked her sister and she nodded, giving them some privacy. "So, what's going on with you?" "Great! I am going to Princeton for my master's degree." "What do you mean? You're leaving New Orleans?" Sophie asked, shocked. "Yeah, I kind of received the mail the day you left to marry the Mikaelson guy." "We are not married yet." "I know. You still have to pass that…whatever test that is." "Mikael wants to make sure that we are what you call, worthy to be married to his sons." "That's bull, even for him." They remained in silence for a couple of moments as Sophie felt her heart shattering that she was losing her best friend. "I am really going to miss you, you know? Please don't be gone for too long." Kaleb smiled and shook his head. "Not a chance." "So…are we ever going to talk about what happened between us that day?" "Look, Soph, I won't deny that it was pretty special, okay, but that was just you worrying. I saw the look in your eyes. You needed comfort after you found out you have to marry a douchebag. I have always been your best friend and I was there for you."

"But you know that we could have always chosen to be more than best friends." Sophie responded, cupping his cheek. Kaleb looked at her for a moment and then asked, "Then why didn't we? Why didn't we move on to the next step in our relationship?" "We have. It just came a little too late." Kaleb sighed. "Sophie, if you wouldn't have found out about your marriage to Finn, you wouldn't have jumped on me like that." "But what you said…" "I got swept away by the moment and that is what it was, a moment. I have always loved love, Sophie, I just…I don't think that I can love you the way you deserve. We are best friends. We have always been, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we belong together." "But you know me better than anyone." Kaleb shrugged with a dear smile on his face. "That is what friends do. They get to know each other better and better every day. You are going to get married and then get installed in this family. You need to be focused on that…and I feel like I need to start my own life, away from here."

"You feel you need to leave because of me?" Sophie asked him and he shook his head. "No, this has nothing to do with you. But our kiss made me realize that maybe I do want more too. I want to find someone special and I want to start my own family with that person, just as you are going to." "But that man is a stranger to me. He doesn't give me any reason to get close to him." "Have you given him a reason to want to get close to you?" He watched as she wanted to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth. He smiled and kissed her forehead gently. "You see? You need to give him a shot, Soph." At that moment, the door slammed open and Jane Anne covered her mouth as they all watched an angry Finn enter the bar, with an empty bottle of beer. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" He roared as he stepped over and punched Kaleb in the jaw, making Sophie scream, as she saw Kaleb stumble and fall on the ground. Finn was about to hit him with the bottle but Sophie grabbed it before he could make a move. "Stop, please, stop! Don't hurt him!" She looked at him, begging, realizing that the alcohol in the morning had truly affected him. Finn loosened his grip and Sophie was able to grab the bottle from his hands, as Jane Anne helped Kaleb put and offered him some ice for his jaw. "I'm sorry." Sophie whispered to him, but Kaleb simply shook his head, as if she had nothing to worry about.

She turned to Finn with disgust. "What the hell is the matter with you? Why would you do something like that to him? Don't you have any shame?" Finn looked at her with no emotion on his face as he growled, "Why was he kissing your forehead?" He then almost immediately grabbed her arm and hissed, "You are mine." "Not unless I pass your father's test, which I will make sure I won't!" she spat back at him and Jane Anne raised her voice, "Sophie, no!" "Who do you think you are telling me what I should and shouldn't do? I am not marrying this guy!" "I am your sister and you will marry him!" Jane Anne snapped at her. After that, she helped Kaleb out of the bar, leaving Sophie and Finn alone. Finn rubbed his hand over his stubble, saying firmly, "You are not to leave the house again without my consent, do you understand me?" When she didn't answer, Finn grabbed her hands and made her look at him. "Do you?" he asked again, louder. Sophie simply glared at him and responded, "I will do as you told me because it is what I am forced to do, but I hate you with every bone in my body!"

…

She wished that she could spend more time with Cami, but seeing that she was clearly busy talking to Elijah that morning, made her sad. Sophie was nowhere near around the house either. And as for Hayley, she couldn't really talk to the girl she barely knew. Maybe they would, soon. Feeling a little lonely, she opened the door to his room, curious to check out the inside, as he had never let her. To her surprise, the bed was made by a certain maid around the house, but he was nowhere near this chamber. She looked uncomfortable as she cleared her throat and whispered, "Is Kol here?" The maid smiled at her sadly and shook her head, as she continued cleaning his room. Frowning, Davina turned back around and decided to search the house. He couldn't have gone out. He would have no reason to. In the few days that she had known Kol, there was one thing Davina was certain of. He liked to sleep late and would only wake up when he would hear his father's demanding voice that he is to be down for breakfast. Davina looked at her watch and noticed that they had thirty more minutes before the breakfast table would be set.

The smell in the house was refreshing and as Davina walked around, she bumped into Rebekah in the North Wing. "Oh, I'm sorry. I really am." She said at once but Rebekah didn't seem upset at all. "No need to apologize. This was my fault." This was certainly that type of moment Davina didn't expect. To have a Mikaelson apologize to her. "Um…have you seen Kol anywhere? Has he left the house?" Rebekah frowned and shook her head. "Kol is always lazy in the mornings and always the last one to come down for breakfast so no, I don't think he left." "He is not in bed, I checked." "Oh, any particular reason you would want to see him?" Rebekah asked Davina with a hopeful smile on her face. Davina simply shook her head, politely. The Mikaelson sister looked kind of disappointed, as she was rooting for her brothers to find happiness with the girls they would wed most likely at the end of the week. "Have a look around. I am sure he must be around here somewhere." Rebekah advised her and Davina nodded.

Many more minutes passed as she looked around, until she heard a loud moan erupt through the walls. She walked curiously to the place where the sounds could be heard. She covered her hand with her mouth, as she realized that these moans were heard from the broom cupboard. At once, she opened the door, thinking that it was someone who got hurt. But the moment she opened the door, she truly wished she hadn't, as she had set in front of her, something she hoped would never have to happen to her. It was Kol, and he was pressing a blonde girl to the wall, kissing her breasts as she was sighing in pleasure. They both stopped the moment they heard the door opening. Kol had fear in his eyes, thinking that it was his father, but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Davina standing there, paralyzed by the view. He let go of Charlene, and turned to Davina. She didn't move. "Hey, listen, I…" The door slammed in his face and Davina couldn't believe what she had done. She raced back up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her in fear and falling on the bed, crying her eyes out.

…

Hayley had come upstairs to her room after serving herself some cereal with milk, realizing that this was the first time that it had been only her, Klaus, Camille, Elijah, Rebekah and Esther at the table. Rebekah had tried to make excuses for the rest of the people who were not present but Esther would not have it, explaining that this was the first time something like this had happened and when Mikael would come back from his business at the law firm, she was sure to have a word with him about this. Hayley opened the door to her room to enter, when she felt his hand grab her and pine her against the wall, scaring her. There was a glint in Klaus' eyes which told her that he was enjoying this. He no longer seemed to be upset about the other night when they had a fight before dinner. "What is wrong with you now?" she asked, catching her breath, as she noticed he was looking at her breasts. "Hey, I am up here!" she snapped, wanting to punch him, but her hands were pinned by his own, unable to get themselves free. He chuckled, meeting her eyes and whispering, "You are coming with me to the basement now, since Father will be home later on in the afternoon and I will need to be at his disposal at all times." "You are his fetching boy, are you?"

"More like his best soldier, little wolf, and if you wish to keep our end of the deal, you will do as I tell you and I shall be able to train you." He pushed himself away from her with a slight smirk as he watched her rub her hands in anger. "Never do that to me again, you got it?!" she warned him, which made him grin. "It is not the wife's duty to make threats around here. If that is the game you wish to play with me, love, I might as well tell father the whole truth of the many mischiefs you have been up to, starting with your false name, neglecting Mother's rules and using the training room without his permission or mine." "You wouldn't…" "Try me." He whispered close to her face, making her knees weaken. "Fine. But since you get to decide when we do train, I get to decide how we train." With that, Hayley grabbed her sports outfit and headed down to the basement, with Klaus following closely behind. He walked inside, just in time to watch her put on her sports pants and take off her shirt, revealing a light pink bra, covering her B Cup breasts. She looked incredibly attractive. The moment was over when she pulled on her tight and black sports shirt. She rolled her eyes and whispered, "You just can't stop annoying me now, can you?"

"When you become my wife, I will be given permission to do whatever I want with you." Klaus responded with a proud smile on his face as he arranged the sack in front of him, and put two guns on the table, ready for some action. "What makes you think that I will let you?" Hayley responded, making him respond huskily, "Little wolf, you won't have a choice." "If I disobey you…" "There will be punishments. Do not think otherwise!" He then took off his shirt, revealing his six-pack, to Hayley's shock. He was more muscular than he let on, with his clothes on him. He smirked as he realized how much discomfort was flowing around her right now, as he stepped over and handed her the gun, brushing his fingers lightly over her hand. "What is it that you wanted to change, love?" "You will train me from the start, as if I have no idea how to use a gun whatsoever." She needed to play it well and succeed. If she was to protect herself and her parents, she needed to pretend like she was a true mobster's daughter. "Why would I start from the beginning when I might as well see what you can do for me now?" Klaus asked her with a small smirk. Hayley rolled her eyes and responded, "Because if you are going to train me properly, all of my past knowledge is to be erased. You do want to be my trainer don't you?"

Still unsure of her intentions, Klaus finally agreed to this, with slight suspicion rising inside of him, as he went behind her and whispered softly, "Let me see how you hold a gun." That of course she knew. Hayley held it up in front of her, pointing it at the dummy in front of her and taking a deep breath. She did her best to keep the gun in her hand still, even though she thought that her hands were shaking a little. Almost at once, the image of her father shooting that man, from when she was 14 was clear in her mind, and she gasped a little, her hands trembling. Klaus watched her in shock as she dropped the gun at her feet, and yelled when the trigger was accidently touched and the gun shot a bullet into the wall. It was a good thing that the walls in the basement were soundproof. "Hayley!" Klaus yelled out at her but she would not listen. She was prepared to leave the basement when he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his naked chest. "What is wrong with you?" he growled, demanding an answer. Hayley wiped away the tears which already were filling up in her eyes. "Nothing." Her response was not sincere and Klaus could easily tell that. "I am warning you, love. One more lie towards me and I shall…" "Please, stop." Hayley said softly, as she let go of a couple of tears. He held onto her chin, making her stare directly into his orbits. "Tell me the truth. I am only going to ask this one last time. And I expect an honest answer." "Klaus, I…" "Now!" She bit her lip, shaking her head as he stared into her eyes, hopelessly.

 **A/N: Do you think Hayley will tell Klaus the truth this time or just keep lying to him for the sake of the family? Or do you think that she will somehow play with the truth? What about Sophie and Davina? What consequences do you think wait for them? Will there be consequences at all? Stay tuned for the next chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	10. Knowing You Know Nothing

**The last chapter presented us with a full family dinner in which things got off hand, as well as a Klayley fight, and a surprise following Camlijah's development, but the inability of Elijah to tell Cami the truth about him and Gia. Sophie and Finn reached a dead end with his attack on Kaleb, as Davina found Kol in an intimate position with Charlene. At last, determined to have an evolution in their relationship, Klaus and Hayley proposed a deal for one another, but emotions ran high the moment Klaus realized Hayley is hiding something from him.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Hayley reveals to Klaus a part of her first experience with watching how the world of the Mafia works, surprising him with a slight open-up about her feelings, as he installs some other feelings in her the moment their training begins. Finn sets down ground rules for Sophie, and meanwhile, Elijah meets someone he didn't expect to meet. Davina reveals to Sophie and Rebekah what she had discovered about Kol, as Mikael overhears about the ultimate betrayal of his son. Another incident regarding Esther's problem runs its course, and Hayley has to deal with the side of Klaus she saw at the beginning: cold and cruel, wondering if she will ever break through to him.**

* * *

He held onto her chin, making her stare directly into his orbits. "Tell me the truth. I am only going to ask this one last time. And I expect an honest answer." "Klaus, I…" "Now!" She bit her lip, shaking her head as he stared into her eyes, hopelessly. "I…I can't." The answer shocked him, as he continued to hold onto her chin, not wanting her face to disappear or to have to this moment slip between his fingers. He wanted to know her, and for that to happen, Klaus was sure that he would have to break inside of her. He knew just how to do so. Cupping her face with both of his hand, he leaned closer and pressed a kiss on her forehead, making her breathing hitch in surprise at such a kind gesture coming from him. She gently covered his hands with her own, leaning into his touch and she closed her eyes without realizing this. She needed comfort after what she had been through and her parents weren't here to protect her from Mikael's wrath. This man she was to marry was all she had. "Tell me." Klaus said the moment he pulled his lips away, noticing that the tears have finally disappeared from her eyes. Hayley wiped the rest which were on her cheeks and whispered, "It's something in my past which I can't share…" "You must share with your husband. A Mikaelson wife…"

"I know the rules, Klaus! There is no need to inform me of anything more!" she snapped at him before he could continue and he could see the anger in her expression. This was tough on her, and she hadn't had a person to speak to, aside from her parents of course. "You are not my husband yet, so why should I be obliged to tell you anything at all?" "I believe I have explained this to you too many times before, little wolf. You simply refuse to acknowledge that everything about you past, your present and your future must be known and understood by me. You have gotten me into a deal where I have to lie to my own father that we are indeed spending time together but not the way he would prefer. What you are asking me to do at this moment is help you cheat this way through his tests, and when you find it difficult to shoot someone or something because of what you have envisioned in your mind…we have a problem. It is your job to tell me the truth and nothing but the truth if you do want me to continue helping you train. And ironically, the prize for getting past my father's tests is your marriage to me, something you show you don't want, but it is clearly your target."

"No more." Hayley whispered, crossing her hands over her chest, turning away from him and resting her head against the wall, wondering what she should do. He was never going to let this go now and it was all her fault that she mentioned this fear. She could not control herself, as she hoped she would be able to. She couldn't keep her secret hidden for long and by now, Hayley realized that she would fail her parents. But how could she fail them? No. This was not possible. He was not leaving. He was expecting an answer. As she turned around, Hayley could see his cold stare, as he came forth to her and demanded, "Do not make me have to get it out of you the hard way. Believe me, little wolf…I have all the necessary tools here." He told her, pointing at the guns and other weapons, created by Kol. "What do you want me to do? You want me to show you weakness?" Hayley asked in a whisper. "Show me the reason you cannot hold a gun properly in your hands to shoot something, a target, anything. Show me what frightens you. Tell me something. I demand an explanation!" he said strictly.

"I was 14 when my father got into the business. I, of course, had no idea. I was too preoccupied with my sick grandmother. She died of cancer, and that was exactly what my father was trying to prevent. That was why he has agreed to become a mobster, influenced by your father. My life changed the moment I peeked into our basement and I saw a bloodied man tied up to a chair, and my father was holding a gun in his hand, ready to shoot, with Mikael encouraging him from behind. Of course, after a slight hesitation, my father shot the man, who was begging for his life…and I had to watch it. I have not let go of that image since." Hayley finally showed that she was courageous enough to tell him. Klaus' mouth parted at her words. He was slightly confused, which made Hayley wonder that maybe she had told him something she shouldn't have told him. He took a step closer to her and stated, "You have been a Marshall all your life. Surely you have been exposed to such things since you were born, even though your father started later in the business. Have your parents kept you from the truth all this time?" "No. Of course not." Hayley responded almost immediately, in fear of where he was heading with this conversation.

After a moment of silence, Klaus leaned over and picked up the gun from the ground, dusting it. "Are you sensitive to seeing blood gushing out of people? Is that the problem for you?" he asked as he put the gun in her hands. Hayley gulped and nodded. "Maybe. That is probably it. But…I can shoot. I know many…things. I just need, I need…" "Encouragement?" "Yes. That is why I asked you to train me from the start as if I have absolutely no knowledge of what I should do with this gun. I want you to start with me from scratch and maybe I can overcome this." Her fate was sealed by him when he responded, "Very well. But you shall refrain from telling me lies. It is part of our deal, Hayley that you are to obey the rules." "You want me to be your wife, not to…" "Being my wife means obeying my rules and my parents'! End of discussion!" he raised his voice at her, catching her off guard. Is this the way he would continue to treat her? Like she was nothing but a burden in his life? He was going to treat her like she would never hold any place in his heart? At that moment, Hayley's heart ached for the man she lost. Jackson. He had been good to her until some point in their relationship. How could she let him go? How could he let her go…so she could infiltrate a family she wasn't destined to be a part of?

She looked down at the gun she was holding and almost at once, her hands started trembling, as Klaus immediately grabbed them and stilled them. "You are only making it harder on yourself, love. You need to relax." She looked into his orbits and nodded, deciding that now was not the moment for any sly remark from her which could cause their training session to become even more frustrating. He was already showing anger, as he went up behind her and moved his hand gently from her hip to her stomach, grazing it softly with his hand. His other hand, went up her own, and made her hold the gun out in front of her, as his hand trailed softly from her armpits to the place where the gun was behind held. "Hold it tightly." He murmured in her ear, making her flinch as she remembered that he was half naked, and standing so close to her that it made sweat appear on her forehead in the coldest room of the mansion. "Breathe." He whispered again, making her ease the tension within herself. Confidence was exactly what she needed to get past this and Hayley believed that is what Klaus was trying to teach her. Self-control. "The main purpose of this training to help you evolve as a killer, Hayley, and the first step is realizing who you are. Having these visions in your mind stopping you from doing what is right for you and for your family, is proof that you have not passed that step."

Hayley frowned at hearing such profound words coming from him, as she held the gun in front of her, sweat dropping on her forehead, as his warm her, played at her stomach. "I am not a killer." She whispered, a bit angrily, but Klaus mumbled in her ear. "Yes, you are. This is your family, my family…the Marshalls and the Mikaelsons, united for centuries, have led as the biggest alliance in the Mafia history. That is the reason my father wanted your own to enter this world as soon as possible. He favors him…which is why, he has chosen you, his daughter, to be my wife. Learn to accept yourself, love and you shall get through this. Accept the truth. You are a mobster." "No." Hayley almost whimpered, hating how weak she felt at that moment. Had she always been so childish? Was this the reason she couldn't get past bad memories? A blush crept on her cheeks, as she felt Klaus still at her words. She must truly be showing him something she should be ashamed of. "Repeat after me, little wolf. I am a killer." Hayley gasped lightly as Klaus mumbled, "Say it." His hand gripped over hers as she held the gun straight in front of her, and her eyes darted over to the dummy she was pointing the gun to. "Klaus…" "You must learn to accept yourself in order to improve. I am asking you to say what there needs to be said in order for this evolution to work. We are all killers in the Mafia, Hayley. There are no angels. Only devils. And occasionally…angels who have their own demons."

Listening to him closely, Hayley took a deep breath as she realized how right he truly was. She had to do this for herself. She had to make sure that he understood that she was not backing out. She wanted to win and to prove herself to Mikael and to her family that she could resist and she could be a part of this family if she wanted to. "I am a killer!" Hayley snapped and pulled the trigger, having the bullet go directly through the dummy's head. She covered her mouth with her hand in shock that she had actually managed to pull the trigger and do it. Klaus let go of her, and simply stepped over to the dummy, pulling the bullet out and throwing it in a box. "That is enough for today. We have tomorrow and then…you will have to impress me and my father yourself." The smile vanished from her face as she realized that he was not showing her how he felt about her current success. He didn't care. Why would he? That was what Hayley believed as she smiled and nodded. "Thank you." She replied, before leaving the basement. He was looking up, after her with a sigh and a slight shake of his head.

...

Sophie had not left her room the whole day, as she cried her eyes out when nightfall came. She couldn't believe the nerve of him. He was angry when she was bothering him with a simple conversation and angry when she was ignoring him too. That she understood, but what he did to Kaleb took the cake. She growled in her sleep, tired from being angry and crying her eyes out at the same time. She had no idea what she was crying for. Was she crying because she was forced to a test in order to marry a man she hated? Was she crying because Kaleb didn't love her the way she thought he did? Was she angry because she thought she loved him? Was she angry at Finn for what he did to her best friend? Was she angry at Jane Anne for telling her who to marry and make herself the important one in the family? The questions kept on flowing in her mind, and before she knew it, morning came. It was Thursday, the last test before the big day when she would show her skills in front of Mikael Mikaelson himself. She wrinkled her nose as she smelled alcohol and wondered how that was possible. Opening her eyes, Sophie screamed as she saw him crouched beside her, with an empty bottle of rum in his hands. "God!" she yelled out in anger, and threw her own pillow at him, before getting off the bed.

He growled as he opened his eyes and rubbed his eyes, looking around and not understanding where he was. "What are you doing in my bed?" Sophie asked, with a frown, as he finally stood up and asked, "Don't tell me we have gone down and dirty last night because of the alcohol. Have we?" "What?! No! I would never get in bed with you! Not even drunk, you alcoholic pervert!" He grabbed her arms and threw her on the bed, as he rolled himself on top of her, holding her hands still, as she yelled out, "NO! What are you doing?!" There was only one thing that came into her mind. He was going to rape her. He pushed his lips onto hers for a fierce kiss. She tried to keep herself together, but there was both anger and the need for pleasure boiling up inside of her. She kissed him back, just as hard, to both of their surprise, as their teeth clenched together. After a couple of moments, she pulled back from the kiss and pushed him off of her. With a smirk on his face, he finally let her go but pulled her off the bed, saying, "Ground rules! They belong to this family…and you are going to obey them."

"I have already looked over your parents' rules and I am sorry, but it does not interest me." Finn smiled and said, "I am afraid you will have no choice. My father is not an easy one to please. He gets his favorite from the start and doesn't care about others' evolution along the way. You must listen to me…" "Why are you telling me this? Is it because you don't feel you are at all your daddy's favorite candidate? Is that it? I have seen the way you react whenever he chooses your brother Klaus over you or the others." "Then you are the way I perceived you to be. You are a smart girl, and a willing one. You are going to submit to those rules as well as a new one I am expressing right now." He took a deep breath before telling her, "You are no longer going to go anywhere without my knowledge and occasionally, I will accompany you to wherever you need to be." "No! I have my own life and my own family! You can't do that to me." "I can, and I will. You crossed the line yesterday. I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do." "I crossed the line?! You were a drunken idiot who attacked my best friend and almost my sister!" "You watch your tone when you speak to me." "Or what? You're going to hit me? Rape me?" His eyes widened but hardened as he went over to her and growled, "I have raped a woman once in my life and it felt so good. Her screams were music to my ears. Should you disobey me, you will receive the same treatment, knowing that soon you are going to be my wife, to do with you as I please."

She pointed a finger at him. "You will not do with me as you please! I am not your toy. If my family wants me to be your wife, fine! I will be your damn wife! But don't you dare expect anything more from me! I will never give you my heart!" She stopped talking as she saw the shocked look on his face but he recovered quickly, saying, "That is alright. All I need from you is your body anyway. You seemed to enjoy our little make-out session not too long ago. Feelings are not really my thing, you know." "That kiss meant nothing! It was a basic instinct…" She stopped talking as she saw his look intensify. Groaning, she grabbed her towel and pulled off her pajamas, knowing that she will get nowhere with him. She saw the smirk on his face as she entered the bathroom for a shower and slam the door. "You will be begging soon enough!" Finn called out after her with a grin.

…

After breakfast, he met with Camille in her room, where she smiled lightly at him. She was already looking over the first corrections he made to her first poem. He smiled back as he took a seat next to her at the table and asked, "Have you prepared yourself for today?" "Yes. Anything else you would like to add to this poem?" Elijah rubbed his finger over his lips, reaching out for a pen when his phone buzzed and he immediately looked over at it. _Elijah, I know you are probably still upset, but I have come back to New Orleans. I am at the church. Please come. We need to talk. – Gia._ Elijah closed his eyes for a moment and quickly hid his phone when Camille asked in a comforting voice, "Is everything okay?" She looked worried as he stood up and whispered, "I must help Father out with something. Why don't you prepare yourself for tomorrow's tests until I get back?" he asked and she nodded, even though she knew that she wouldn't be practicing her fighting skills. She would finally get the chance to play her beautiful music with the violin she had hid from him since she moved here.

Elijah moved past his mother and offered her a kiss on the forehead, before leaving the house and walking over to the church, where Gia was standing, beautiful and graceful as ever. She was wearing casual clothes, and not the usual fancy dresses he always saw her in. The moment she saw him, she flung her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "I am so happy to see you. I am truly sorry I bailed on you." "Gia…" "Let's move past this. How about we go out for some brunch? How does that sound? My violin practicing with you has really paid off. I just receive a prize for…" "Gia, please, listen to me! I cannot see you anymore." Elijah finally found the courage to say this to her. He refused to string her along, knowing that nothing would be like it was in the past. He had his own responsibilities and he would soon have a wife, a real relationship with a woman, like he always wanted. Gia looked worried as she asked him in a whisper, "Is this about your proposal?" Elijah's breathing hitched as he remembered how he had asked her to marry him two days before she left and she had turned him down, because of his parents' expectations. The truth was that Elijah was always looking for a woman to marry, not to have a casual relationship with no obligations whatsoever.

"That was in the past…" "I know you felt rejected, I do. But, Elijah, I can't integrate in your family and you know that. I thought you understood." "You ran away after that." "I didn't run. I went to university in New York." "You used that as an excuse for months. Don't, please. You left because you were afraid of commitment. And I can remember that you knew what my intentions were before we got into our relationship. You knew that a marriage would come into the picture eventually, and you still decided to string me along." "Elijah, just be reasonable yourself for a change. You can't be so selfish as to expect a yes from me." His eyebrows rose at that comment. "And why wouldn't I? I loved you?" "And a marriage is what you needed to continue to love me? You never even wanted to tell your parents about us." "My father didn't want a relationship between me and a woman who wouldn't agree to marry me." There was silence before Elijah took a deep breath and asked, "Is your uncle here? Have you seen him?" "No, I wanted to see you first." She took a step towards him but he put up his hand. "I am engaged to be married, Gia. I cannot do this anymore with you." Her mouth dropped in shock. "Married? You? To whom?"

"I have always wished for a strong relationship between me and a woman, and my father has finally decided to marry me and my brothers to the daughters and in one case, niece, of one member of the Board." Elijah explained. "And who…?" "Your sister, Camille and I shall get married in two days." Gia was in even more shock as she stared at him. "You and Cami? What? When did this happen?" "At least a week ago." "A week? That is how long you have known her and you are already planning on marrying her? She is my sister, Elijah!" "You said it yourself that she is only your half-sister and that she does not mean much to you or to Sean." "But you can't marry her after being in a relationship with me. How can you agree to this, Elijah?" "It is what my father has proposed and I am going to offer him comfort in knowing that I support his decisions and I shall marry Camille. I have to admit, Gia, that she is not at all the girl you described her when you so rarely talked about her." "She is the result of my father's infidelity. Why should I ever accept her when she is the living proof of why Mother and Father broke apart? The very sight of her disgusts me, I'm sorry to have to say this."

Elijah was prepared to say something to her, which will stop her from saying such hurtful things about the girl who shared her blood, but looking in Gia's eyes, Elijah understood her pain. He went over and pulled her in for a tight hug, whispering, "I am truly sorry for the way you feel, and I hope that you will understand that what there was between us, it won't ever be the same again. I am going to marry Camille and you are going to accept that." "So what? You are going to be my brother-in-law after being my lover?" "It appears so. Forgive me for not telling you on the phone. I wished to do it in person, which is one of the reasons why I was upset you could not make it at that time. I am going to make my marriage with Camille work, and I hope that you will find it in your heart to accept us as a married pair. Have a good day, Gia." He kissed her hand gently, turning around and leaving the church, with a certain weight being lifted off his shoulders, as Gia watched him in continued shock. He no longer had to feel guilty, and Elijah realized that if Gia had taken the news badly, Camille would take it even worse.

…

She was crying in her room when she heard the door open and close. Davina rose and yelped, as she thought that it was him. Sophie was standing there with an angry look on her face. "You are never going to believe what Finn…" She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw the look on Davina's face. "Oh…what happened to you? Did Kol hit you?" Sophie asked at once and headed over to the girl to touch her forehead. Davina let the tears stream down her cheeks as she shook her head. She was chocking up, unsure of what she could say. She couldn't betray her future husband-to-be. She couldn't say the truth to Sophie. She knew how she was. She would tell Mikael or Esther about this in a flash. "Davina, you know you can tell me anything. I am sorry I haven't been there for you since we moved here. I know I said we would be in this together, but I…" "It's okay. You don't need to worry about me. You have your own problems with Finn and I understand that." Davina replied softly. At that moment, she placed her fingers to her lips and then immediately got off the bed, rushing to the bathroom. Sophie groaned when she heard the noises coming from there and she knew that Davina was throwing up. She did that a lot whenever she was stressed to the maximum.

The knock on the door frightened Sophie as she went over and opened the door to see Rebekah standing there. She frowned. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Finn?" "What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be prancing around and doing nothing useful for society?" Sophie snapped back. She knew there was a reason why she never liked the Mikaelson sister. She was always sticking her nose in other people's business. "I wanted to speak to Davina, but I guess that she is busy with you…" Rebekah's voice trailed off when she heard the sounds made by Davina in the bathroom. "Is she throwing up?" Rebekah asked Sophie and the Deveraux girl nodded her head. "Something is clearly bothering her. Her face was red from crying when I came inside and she only ever throws up when it's something really serious that touches her heart. I know her for a very long time." "Then we must help her." Rebekah said almost at once and moved past Sophie, to the bathroom, opening the door and helping Davina's hair up, as she let out everything she had eaten for breakfast. "That's alright, love. We are going to help you now. You don't need to worry. Damn. Where is Kol when I need him?" Rebekah muttered the last part under her breath but Davina had heard her, and just hearing his name, made her stomach hurt more. Sophie came inside, grabbing a towel and wiping her mouth after she rinsed.

Finally, Davina was nestled on the bed, with her hair pulled up and braided, as she held a cup of tea in her hands. She took very small sips, as Rebekah held her hand. Sophie was sitting on the other side of the bed and whispered, "Are you ready to say what is bothering you?" Seeing that she was not willing to talk much, Rebekah encouraged her by saying, "Love, whatever it is, we can work it out. I can speak to my parents…" "No. I don't want to think about that anymore. Do not say anything to your parents, please. If I tell you…" Davina whispered, sadly and Rebekah replied, "I need you to tell me what is bothering you because my father can make things better. You are not helping anyone by keeping something inside of you. Please, just tell me how bad the situation is and I'll get to decide if my father needs to know or not. You can trust me." Sophie rolled her eyes but noticed that the fear in Davina's eyes has disappeared as she whispered, "Kol." "What about my brother? What did he do?" Rebekah demanded at once. More tears streamed down her face, as she finally confessed. "He was with a girl…in the broom cupboard." Rebekah and Sophie looked at one another in shock, as Davina covered her face with her pillow and the Mikaelson sister stormed out of the room.

Rebekah's heart stopped as she saw Mikael standing there with a frown on his face. "Father! What are you doing here?" Rebekah asked, surprised that he was home that morning. "I have come to inspect my future daughters-in-law but it seems to me like a whole different matter should be settled at this moment, Rebekah." "Father…" "Where is Kol?" he demanded. Rebekah pursed her lips, not knowing whether to protect Davina of this incident or her own brother. She decided not to say anything as Mikael growled and ran for the butler and the other maids around the house. "Find me Kol! This instant!" Elijah just entered the house and both he and Esther went towards Mikael, asking, "What has happened?" "That good for nothing son of mine has already started cheating on his future wife. Get rid of that Charlene girl, Elijah, before I do it myself, and trust me, I won't be gentle." Mikael exclaimed as Elijah bowed his head. "I will find her, Father." The butler walked towards them a couple of moments later with Kol right next to him. "What is it now?" Kol asked with a roll of his eyes. "MIKAEL!" Esther yelled out as Mikael grabbed Kol by his throat and pushed him against the wall in the living room, in anger.

The whole family was now gathered there, waiting for Mikael's intentions seeing as how Kol betrayed his trust. "What have I told you?! Have I not been clear to you when I said that this alliance is very important to this family! You were cheating on your wife with that whore!" He let go of his neck, but did not back away from him as Kol rubbed his neck shamelessly. "You brought me an ungrateful toddler, Father. She can never offer me the pleasure Charlene has offered me over the years." "THIS ALLIANCE IS NOT ABOUT YOU!" Mikael yelled, making Kol shut his eyes tightly in fear. Esther came forth and put her hands on her husband's back. "Please, don't do this. He is your son." Mikael never wished to admit it, but Esther's voice had always been the cure to his anger. He turned around and cupped her cheek. "Everything I do right now is for you and you know that. Our son…is ruining it all." "He will learn from his mistakes, trust me. But he will never be anything you want him to be if you don't loosen the reigns just a little bit. As long as he promises never to do this again…" "And what of his future bride?" Mikael asked, pointing at Davina, who was being embraced by an outraged Sophie. "She will understand. This is a marriage of convenience after all." "My partners will not understand when they hear about this. Another meeting needs to be held now, so I can try to explain. Davina and Nina Claire will skin me alive. Because of him!"

Kol finally opened his eyes as his face was now pale. His eyes averted from his father's and looked over with a frown at the girl he was bound to marry soon. "You will pay for this!" Kol exclaimed almost at once and grabbed his jacket, searching for the way out of the house when Mikael grabbed him by his collar and slammed him against the wall again only this time, blood poured from Kol's nose and he needed stiches to his head. "Oh God…oh…" Esther touched her chest and started breathing with difficulty again. Elijah caught her before she could land with a thud on the ground. Mikael turned away from Kol and looked over at his poor wife and said, "We must get to the hospital this instant. Everyone to the cars!" he exclaimed and his orders were respected immediately, as Esther was rushed to the hospital.

…

Hayley pressed her hands together, as she went over to Davina, who was crying in the hands of Sophie. They were all in the waiting room, as Esther was being checked for her lung problem, and Kol was getting his stiches from Mikael's injuries. "How are you?" Hayley asked Davina with a sad look on her face as the poor girl simply shook her head with more tears being let out. "I never wanted things to go this bad. It is my fault. I shouldn't have told anyone…" "You did the right thing. You can't have a husband treat you like that! You must demand respect! It's time we all do. We are mobsters' daughters, for crying out loud!" Hayley said to her and received a grateful smile from Sophie who nodded in agreement. Finally, Hayley sat down on the couch, with Camille right beside her. She observed as Klaus, his father and his brothers were listening to what the doctor was telling them. "Davina was the unfortunate one to get hit by this first. We're next." Cami suddenly whispered and pulled her out of her trance. Hayley looked at her and shook her head. "You mustn't think like that. You saw what Mikael did to Kol today. He is desperate for this alliance with our families to get his money back."

"I know but what happens when he does get the money back and he will no longer need our families' help?" "I don't think that day will come. We are all involved in the Mafia now and with the police, crimes, families turning against families, others from other states will try to take us down…we will always need each other here in New Orleans. We stick together, that is what Mikael wants and he is trying to force us into it to make sure that we don't break off this alliance. A marriage bonds people for life." "But after he does get the money, he won't care if his sons cheat on us or not." Hayley closed her eyes and shook her head. "No. No cheating will be involved." "You don't know that, Hayley. They don't love us." "They don't look like the type they could love someone either." "I think they can and eventually, they might find other women, and we would still be forced to remain in these marriages, because of our families' alliance." There was sadness in Cami's voice as Hayley asked, "Things are going unwell for you and Elijah?" "He is trying to be kind to me, but…I can see it on his face that he is only doing it because he has to. I read people well. He is hiding something from me." Hayley frowned. "What do you think that could be?" "I don't know and frankly, I don't want to find out."

Klaus rubbed his forehead as he stepped over into the waiting room and Hayley got up to meet him, with her hands crossed over her chest but with worry in her eyes. "How is she doing?" "Why do you care?" he snapped, showing her those cold eyes she had seen days before. "Because she is your mother and you are going to be my husband. I should care about your family too, not just mine." "Why don't you get over yourself? You have not even passed my father's tests yet!" Hayley felt as if he had just slapped her. He moved away from her and went over to the corner of the room to the window. Angry, she went over to him and said, "If you think that you can just dismiss me through your words, you're wrong." Klaus groaned and turned around. "What do you I need to do to make you leave me alone, love? My mother is sick." "Yes, I can see that. What did the doctor say? What is the problem?" Klaus averted his eyes from her as she continued. "I have been observing her for the past few days, Klaus. We always looked unwell and she even had some rash near her neck. She has heart palpitations, she is not breathing regularly…" "Who are you to claim the side effects…?" "I graduated from Harvard Medical School or have you forgotten?" Hayley stated before he could continue. Klaus' eyes widened for that one moment and she had no idea why. What was he thinking? She then thought about what Camille had told her about Elijah keeping secrets from her. Was Klaus doing the same thing?

She tried a whole different approach. Her eyes softened, understanding that with demanding and intimidation, she wasn't going to go anywhere with him. That was his style to handle things to. Hayley stepped closer to him and caressed his right cheek with her hand. She could see the anger leave his eyes but the confusion was still there. "Rule Nr. 7 states that a Mikaelson wife is to speak the truth to her husband at all times. But right now, the wife is asking you to tell her the truth. What is wrong with Esther?" "You are not my wife." Was all he could whisper, as her hand continued to bring warmth to his face, as he did not push her away. Hayley smiled a little, as she realized that he liked her touch and he needed comfort, even though he didn't show it. "We still obey the rules. Rule Nr. 8 states that a Mikaelson wife is to inform her husband of any particular changes or news in her own family. You are my husband. If the rules were reversed, you would be the one obliged to inform me of changes." "But they are not, little wolf!" Klaus suddenly snapped, as the anger reappeared. She continued to use her manipulation tactics, as he relaxed when both of her hands were on his cheeks now. "Your family is rich, the richest in all of New Orleans and probably Louisiana. Why do you go through all this trouble for 500.000 $, Klaus?"

His nostrils flared in anger as he whispered, "My father wants revenge and so do I. No one steals from our family." "But why do I feel like this money is connected to your mother's problem?" Hayley asked and she could see how pale he had gotten when she said that. She shouldn't have, but she had to, in order to break him. "You are making assumptions. This was a simple incident because of Kol's betrayal. Once he recovers, he shall be punished by my father, and Mother shall be well taken care of. End of discussion, love." At that moment, she pulled her hands away from his face and noticed the disappointed look he gave her that she had pulled away from him. "I know there is something going on and I am going to find out." "If I were you, I would concentrate on the tests you must pass tomorrow in order to become my wife." "What if I fail?" "If you care about your family, you won't fail." Hayley pursed her lips at the warning, as he tried to move away from her but she placed her hand firmly on his chest and pushed him back in front of her, leaving him shocked at her bravery. "I will stand by my vows at our wedding, and I hope you will do the same." She told him, before walking away.

 **A/N: Hayley is catching up fast and Klaus is worried about that. Basically what she wanted to tell him at the end regarding their vows is that she expects a marriage based on trust and honesty. But will Klaus be able to offer her that? Do you think he will talk to Mikael about the problem? What do you think will happen now between Kol and Davina? And what about Hayley? Will she pass the tests?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	11. Fun House And Evil Clowns

**Previously in Corrupted Souls, Klaus finally got a picture of a hidden secret inside of Hayley, as she succeeded in shooting her first dummy. Elijah had broken things off with Gia, hoping to move on with Camille, without her knowing that he was involved with her sister. Finn and Sophie started and ended on the wrong foot, as Kol was discovered by his family to having cheated on Davina even before their marriage. Finally, after another incident with Esther, Hayley reaches out deep in Klaus, only to be pulled out.**

* * *

 **PLOT: After his mother's incident, Klaus pays more attention to her, putting Hayley completely out of his mind, or so he thought. Hayley searches for her future husband's attention by using the current Mikaelson problems. A violent confrontation follows the moments between Kol and Davina, as he is finally freed from the hospital, while Mikael has another Board meeting, to address the safety of the girls in his home, as long as he is alive, reaching the end game with the Geralds for their possible betrayal. After catching Marcel in an intimate moment, Camille feels weakened when she is forced to pass the tests given to her. At long last, the Mikaelson brothers participate in watching their future wives in action.**

* * *

He made sure that he didn't treat her in any way which could give her the satisfaction that she had finally captured his attention with what she told him in the hospital. _"If I were you, I would concentrate on the tests you must pass tomorrow in order to become my wife." "What if I fail?" "If you care about your family, you won't fail." Hayley pursed her lips at the warning, as he tried to move away from her but she placed her hand firmly on his chest and pushed him back in front of her, leaving him shocked at her bravery. "I will stand by my vows at our wedding, and I hope you will do the same." She told him, before walking away._ He growled to himself as he paced in his room, before the door opened and Esther walked inside with a small smile. "Niklaus." She whispered softly as he went over to her, pulling her in a hug. "How are you feeling?" She ignored his question and posed another one. "What did your father say about the doctor's comments? How bad is it?" Her voice was tearful and Klaus could feel it, as he rubbed her back. "Everything will be alright, Mother. Elijah is working on finding a donor. You know he is." "But the money…" "Your surgery does cost a lot, more than we can afford now that those 500.000 $ were stolen. We need them back. Father is right."

"Oh, Niklaus, your father is impulsive and he tends to not think straight when it comes to the welfare of his family." "And you don't find that remotely wonderful of him? Family comes first in this business and you need to understand that no one is going to leave you behind, Mother. I shall take care to spend more time with you from now on." "No, Niklaus. You should be spending time with your future wife." "Nothing is certain yet, Mother. The test is today. They might not be worthy…" "If your father desperately wants this alliance, he will not hesitate to accept the girls into this family today. The wedding preparations are already being made." "Mother…" "No, I don't want to hear another word of it. Your father insists that you will get married tomorrow after the test results. This is Hayley's big day. You should be supporting her, of course." "She doesn't need to be supported. She needs someone to tell her to mind her own business." Klaus growled. Esther frowned. "What happened between the two of you? You told me and your father that you were doing well together." "She has been asking questions about the connection between your problem and the money missing. I have forgotten that she has studied at Harvard Medical School. She must know a thing or two about cancer. It won't be long and she will find out." "Maybe that is a sign that you should tell her the truth." "I am not obliged to trust her with something like this and Father had insisted that we do not mention your cancer to anyone!" "Niklaus, you know you have always been your father's favorite and he trusts you above others, but having a wife is also very important. She must be respected too. Just tell her the truth."

"Where is this coming from, Mother? You are the one who gave them the rules they need to oblige which includes submitting to their husbands, which is us, your sons." "Yes, I have and I stand by those rules because they have offered your father and me, a happy marriage. He had grown to love me and I had grown to love him, even though our marriage was an arranged one as well. You must not treat your wife like garbage, of course not. But she must submit, yes. That is what I have done and still do." Klaus smirked and shook his head. "I have seen you touch Father without his consent. You are violating the first rule, Mother." Esther rolled her eyes and decided to hug her son one more time before pulling away as a knock on the door interrupted them and Hayley stepped inside, surprised as she was expecting him to be alone. The smile washed from Klaus' face as he turned away from her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were alone." "What are you doing here, Hayley? Do you need something?" Esther asked her. "Um…no. I was simply hoping I could talk to Klaus." Esther looked at the annoyed look on her son's face before she nodded and departed from the room, leaving them completely alone. "Is she feeling better now?" she asked him and he rolled his eyes. "You are not getting anything out of me, Hayley."

She was shocked by his response but continued. "I just want to start a conversation with you. Why have you suddenly turned so cold towards me? What have I done wrong?" "What makes you think that you have done something wrong?" "You have been dismissing me since your mother's incident yesterday when all I wanted was to talk to you and comfort you." Klaus turned back to her in surprise and mumbled, "Comfort me? Why would you want to do that?" He recalled how her hands brushed against his face last night, but he recognized it at once as a manipulation tactic. He did not buy it, but he knew he couldn't reject the warmth she was offering him at a time when he felt the world would be falling apart. He always wanted someone to stand by his side like that. "Because I, unlike you, make an effort to…try to get along, to make this work. You do realize that we are going to be married soon right?" "Tomorrow." He whispered. "What?" "If everything goes well today, according to my father, we should be married tomorrow." Her mouth parted in shock, and even though she recovered quickly, she knew that he had noticed her look before she could hide it.

He smirked as he stepped over to her and said, "Still thinking about the lad who raped you, are we, little wolf?" "Stop mentioning Jackson. You are not helping your case." "You are still in love with that asshole even after what he had done." "Because maybe I cannot just erase everything good that he has offered me for something bad." Klaus chuckled and said, "If I hadn't been there to rescue you that night, you wouldn't be having the same feelings right now. I can assure you." "Whatever!" She snapped, making him laugh once again. "Why is Jackson the main topic here? We were talking about your mistrust." "Mistrust?" "A marriage is based on honesty, love and trust. The least you can do is to offer me two out of three!" "And which would that be?" "You're seriously asking me that?" The smile slipped from his face as he asked more seriously, "What are you doing here? You should be getting ready. As soon as my father is back from the Board meeting, you are up against him."

"I know now how to use a gun so that won't be a problem." "That is just part of the test, love. You are supposed to confront my father, and to fight him." "I can get past that too." Hayley told him, confidently. He raised his eyebrows, whispering, "Is that so? Why don't you show me?" Before he could catch his breath, she was already straddling him on the ground, with a wicked smile on her face. "Ah! Now I can see those demonic thoughts behind the angel's eyes." Was all he said to her as he caressed her thighs, making her lose control, as he grabbed a hold of her hips and switched their position, now him being on top of her. Hayley shook her head, saying, "No. I am no angel." "I know you are not." They continued to stare at one another for a couple more minutes, when her hand impulsively went up to touch his cheek, as he sighed and accepted her warmth once again. "It can't be that hard to tell me the truth, Klaus. Please, do tell me." He let go of her and stood up from the floor, as she stood up after him. "Please, tell me, Klaus. Tell me something. Help me understand!" she insisted, as she saw him run his hand through his hair. "Why are you forcing me…?" "I want to know things. It's who I am, and I promise you that if you tell me something right now, it won't leave this room."

He looked like he was contemplating on the idea, knowing that she will continue to bug him this way until he said something. He knew what he was going to say, and they were not lies, but simply a way of playing with the truth. He turned around and covered her hands with his own, staring deep into her eyes. "My mother has been sick for months now and the money we need to find is important for an operation. We need it for her to get better. Do you understand, little wolf?" Hayley covered her mouth with her hand. "That is horrible to learn. But…why can't Mikael ask the members of the Board to pitch in on this? What is your mother's disease? Maybe I can help…" "There is nothing you can do. It is not curable, only through..." He stopped, knowing that he had already said too much to her. "Klaus, just tell me what it is. Tell me." "I have said enough…" "No!" "Hayley, stop it this instant!" He raised his voice at her, grabbing her hand roughly. As he looked closer, he could see the tears forming in her eyes as she tried looking away but couldn't. Pulling her chin up so their eyes could make contact, Klaus said in a much softer voice, "Focus on what needs to be done now…and leave the rest to come when the time is right." Hayley covered the hand which had cupped her cheek, with her own and looked into his orbits. "You mean to say that you will tell me? You will finally tell me the truth?" When he didn't say anything, she whispered, "Klaus, please…" "Very well." He replied before he could stop himself.

It was true of the way he felt when he watched her face light up at the idea. He found himself wanting to make her his wife when the time would be right, as she really was a fascinating woman to be around with. She was spontaneous and a lot of times, she reminded him of himself. He smiled to himself as he realized that this was what his father meant when he decided to join each of them together with the woman who would match each other the best. "Thank you." She said with a smile, pushing his hands away from his face and leaving his room. Klaus stood there, in shock of what he had just agreed to do. When Hayley would become his wife…things would change. But he didn't know if it would be for the better or for the worse. She needed to learn how to respect him and his family's wishes. He could be honest with her, and also teach her everything she would need to know if she was planning on living with them until death would do them apart. She was infiltrated in the family and Klaus knew that now, there would be no way out for her. She knew too much.

…

He entered her room quietly and saw that she was sleeping soundly. He touched the stiches that he had gotten from the hospital the other day. Kol couldn't deny that he was absolutely furious with this girl coming into his life and stopping him from getting the pleasure he had before. Seeing her cry when Mikael was throwing him against the wall put some things in perspective that he had indeed hurt her, but Kol wouldn't go that far as to admit that what he did was wrong. He was a Mikaelson and if his future way was not going to satisfy his needs, he would find some other way. He closed the door and got into the bed, beside her, as he observed her chest rising and then falling. He looked closer and inspected her face, her hair, her soft and white skin, and her perfect pink lips and realized that his father had given him a beauty, indeed. But she wasn't going to be his, if she didn't submit and let him please her, so she could please him. Kol growled in frustration, realizing that he wouldn't ever see Charlene around the house again now that Elijah had sent her away. He suddenly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to him. Davina's eyes snapped open and he could hear her breathing hitch as she pulled back.

Her eyes showed nothing but fear as she tried to get out of bed but he grabbed her arm harshly and made her lay down again. "Please, don't." was all Davina could whimper silently as a few tears streamed down her face. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" he growled as he was now on top of her, looking into her eyes. Davina shook her head, as Kol continued, "Because of your whining, you have denied your future husband the pleasure he needs from a woman." There was silence as Davina asked, "You want to cheat on me?" "I already have. What is the harm in continuing now? At least one of us should be happy! I have agreed to marry you as soon as you pass the tests, but you deny me pleasure. What does that say about you? You are a selfish little infant!" "I am not a child! And I am only five years younger than you!" Davina snapped at him, biting her lip in fear again at the consequences of her yelling. Kol's nostrils flared as he mumbled, "My mother gave you some rules to follow." "She does not follow them." Kol smirked. "She is my mother and the head Mikaelson wife, and as my father leads this Mafia Family, he has a right to set her free. Even if he would offer you that right, I wouldn't agree to it."

"Because you like to see me suffer?" Kol pulled himself off of her, but remained on the bed, saying in a devilish way. "For what you have done, I am sure to make you wish you hadn't been a whiny child yesterday, as soon as we are married." "Then I would gladly fail your test than to live the rest of my life…" Davina started saying, getting some courage for herself, after Hayley's words to her from yesterday. She stopped talking as he started kissing her aggressively. Davina had no idea what she had to do, never having been kissed before, and she knew that this kiss only showed his possessiveness. It didn't come from his heart. The moment he pulled away, Davina's eyes watered as she felt her lip bruised. She started remembering how she talked to Sophie about how she would like her first kiss to be like. This was so different, because he was not gentle with her. The moment he pulled back with a satisfied look on his face, Davina got out of bed and whispered, "I want to call my parents." "No!" Fear plunged inside of her as she realized that he could take that right from her. Seeing her disturbed face, Kol continued. "Father is in a meeting with your parents. He cannot be disturbed because of your little manifestations." "I have a right to talk to my parents when I need them."

"You are given that right by me and right now, I will not offer you that right." "But you have a right to kiss other women's breasts, right?" she asked him. His mouth parted a little, in shock and he looked away, feeling a certain shame get inside of him. He knew he shouldn't have, but he had needs and a Mikaelson always had a right to fulfill his desires. "You will sleep with me!" Kol suddenly said, surprising Davina, as she shook her head. "No, I will not." "You will, if you don't want to live the rest of your life, being married to me, but I leave the house, finding many other women who would love to spread their legs for a handsome man like me." When she didn't say anything, he added, "And you do not want me to tell my father that you have violated that rule about giving me pleasure whenever I want. Rules 1 and 4 are essential in a marriage, darling." "I…won't…" "You will. You won't have a choice, and I look forward to that night, sweetheart. No one denies me that right to have you, and especially not you." He knew that he had started scaring her, and that was exactly what he wanted. Davina Claire was a virgin beauty who would be his wife. And if she wanted him not to cheat on her, she would do well as to give him what he wants and needs.

…

Mikael gulped with nervousness for the first time as he sat at the end of the long table, with his partners. Nina and David Claire were doing their best not to look at him, as Father Kieran had his hands crossed over the table, waiting for the moment when people would start discussing their issues. "Kieran! I hear that your other niece is back in town." Mikael started a discussion with a lighter subject. Kieran smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am very proud of my Gia. She is a rare jewel. I only wish Camille could offer something to this family." "I am sure that she will as soon as she marries Elijah." Jack started speaking, "And isn't there something we need to discuss about your wife, Mikael?" "What about my wife?" Mikael asked, feeling his blood turn cold inside of his veins. "Hayley informs me that there was quite some crisis yesterday with your son Kol, after which your wife passed out. Is she alright?" Mikael took a deep breath before responding, "Yes, she is very well now. I take good care of her. And as for Kol, there is no need to worry about him." Nina finally spoke in a lower voice, "How can I not worry about the safety of my daughter?"

"Kol may be 23 but he is still immature. He has learned a lot from this problem yesterday after I had given him a piece of my mind to never disobey me again and I am sure that he won't. Your daughter is safe in my house, I can assure you and that girl Kol was seen with, she won't be around any longer. She has been sent away. Infidelity is not something I encourage in my family, seeing as I didn't love my wife at first, but I have never dared to be unfaithful to her. Fidelity was the one thing I offered her and she respected my rules and the rules of the family which have been imposed by my father before me." "And now she is free of those rules, but our daughters are not." Jack stated, with spite as Mikael chuckled. "I barely know your daughters. They must prove themselves, and of course they will today." Jack clenched his fists in fright, under the table, hoping that Hayley would do whatever it took for her to pass Mikael's tests and for the marriage to go smoothly and simple as planned. "Mikael, my daughter has been hurt…" David tried saying but Mikael cut him off. "Yes, I know that, and I apologize. It will never happen again as long as they shall be married." Rubbing his hands together, Jack stated, "I think we can all agree that the reason we were supposed to have this meeting was to try to think about our new lead to the 500.000 $. What do we have on the Geralds? Nothing? That is great. Let's move on."

The laughter coming from Mikael rung throughout the entire building. "Do you really think that just because we don't have any proof against them, that I will just let it slide? We are going to take this matter to a whole new level the moment our children are married, Jack. The Geralds will be more exploited and if I find that they know something about my money, they will meet their end, just as they had to a long time before." Jack replied, "The only reason you hate them is because Richard Gerald took Adrianna as his wife when they were young, and they had a child. You liked her. You wanted her." Everyone else looked at Mikael in surprise, as they had no idea that this was the reason Mikael had never allowed the Geralds to join their Council. Mikael growled, "Adrianna means absolutely nothing to me now, when I have Esther, the wife I love. She and her husband will meet their end too. What happened in the past has nothing to do with the money stolen from us now, and the money we need to retrieve." Mikael gave Jack a look, as he realized that he might have said something to anger him. Jack hoped that he wouldn't take his frustrations out on Hayley, now that she was living with him and his sons. "You better watch yourself next time." He growled, right before Kieran spoke up. "The wedding is to be tomorrow?"

"Yes, and you are all invited at my mansion of course, as the girls' big day arrives. Bring some other family members. But that is it. You know the law. Mafia arranged marriages are to be kept as private as possible." Mikael responded, when Mika Deveraux asked, "What kind of tests will the girls be forced to pass?" "The easiest possible. First, I need to understand their shooting abilities, after which, each of them shall battle me. I need to make sure they are indeed the Mafia daughters you have trained them to be." With another nod, the members of the Board stood up, leaving the building, after making sure that no one was watching them. Mikael grabbed a hold of Jack and stopped him from leaving. "What do you want now? Time for criticism on how I revealed your secret to the others? They have a right to know. That is why we are all partners, yet you insist on keeping things from us still." Mikael just smiled and his hand went around his neck as he replied, "I might have another spot on the Board for your wife if she is interested." "Annabelle? Why would you want her when you can easily fill the spot with your own wife?" Jack asked him. "Because my wife…she is not capable of being a part of this Board." "What is that supposed to mean?" "I am making you an offer, Jack. I suggest you take it."

"I agreed to get into this deal eight years ago and you know the reason, Mikael. I will not force Annabelle to join if she does not want to." Mikael nodded for a moment before saying, "I can understand Kieran, as he has no wife, but you…you should get her involved. She might have some great ideas and insights we could use. She has always been a bright woman, which is why I can imagine Hayley will be the same bright woman for Niklaus." Jack closed his eyes for a moment before saying, "Fine!" "Good. I'll call you after your daughter's tests." Jack felt fear rising up inside of him, and then Mikael continued, patting his back. "I sure hope to see both you and Annabelle at the wedding tomorrow so we can discuss it more." "I am pretty sure Annabelle would prefer watching our daughter's big day, than to talk about business." "We can make time for everything. Have a good day, Jack. And do not worry. I have forgiven you for your little mistake at this meeting." "Why would you do that?" "Because you are a partner I don't intend to lose." With that, their conversation ended, as well as the meeting.

…

Camille smiled a little as she noticed Elijah at his desk, writing something which seemed to be stressing him out. Knocking gently on the door, she entered his room, startling him as he asked with a firm tone, "What do you need?" "I'm sorry if I have disturbed you. I wanted to let you know that I need to go to Rousseau's in order to pick up some things I have left there from when I was working. It won't take long and I will be back by lunchtime." Elijah raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Why would you feel the need to ask for my permission?" "I am trying to obey the rules given to me." Camille answered. "Mentioning where you go does not belong to the list of rules, Camille." Elijah continued to argue, until he felt the guilt seep inside of him once again as he saw the disappointed look on her face. She was simply trying to please him. He shook his head and replied, "Forgive me. I seem to be in some difficulty with some documents I need to take care of for my father. I am happy that you have decided to inform me where you go from now on." He offered her, a comforting smile, to which, she smiled back, but she still had disappointment written all over her face. Seeing her walk away, Elijah was certain that he had to work harder to win her heart when they shall get married. He wanted her to obey the rules given by her but at the same time, he wished there would be no need to force her into doing so.

Rousseau's was not far, even though the Mikaelson Estate was at the edge of the city, in a more restricted area. Camille pushed the door open and smiled when she saw Jane Anne there, serving customers. Their eyes met and they shared a nod, but never having much contact with each other, they didn't speak. Cami headed in the back and picked up the books she knew she left there, before handing Jane Anne the business. She was confident now, more than ever. She thought that by being engaged to Elijah Mikaelson, her life would be something to not look forward to. She was beginning to feel that she was wrong about him, and that maybe, after these idiotic tests and after their marriage, they could truly settle down and try to make things work. He was trying very hard and she could see that, and that was why she was even suspicious of him. She had studied psychology and she realized that he was filled with guilt, from his posture and his words when he was in contact with her. Trying to believe that she was imagining things, Camille started heading back to the mansion. Her mouth dropped when she saw him around the corner, in a cleared out area of the city. Marcel was having a make out session with a young blonde woman whom she couldn't see the face of.

She felt something inside of her heart even though she knew that she was ready to move on from the moment he told her that he was seeing someone else in secret and this blonde girl must be the one. Turning around and not bearing to see anymore as her heart contracted, Camille pulled the books tighter to her chest and scurried away towards the mansion, as Marcel was pulled out of his make out session, hearing loud and hurried footsteps behind him. He turned around and noticed Cami running away. Rebekah gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh no, do you think she saw us?" He shook his head. "I don't think she would have recognized you from that distance. Besides, I was all over you." He chuckled but Rebekah slapped his shoulder. "That is not funny! What if she saw my face?" "Don't worry about it. I will find her, talk to her when I can and speak to her about this moment. Go and take it easy. You know that she still has feelings for me. It must be difficult to move on." Rebekah nodded, offered him a long and passionate kiss as she whispered, "One day, we will stop pretending and we will get to spend every day together, not hidden in shadows, but strolling together, hand in hand, around the city. My family will accept you. My father will accept you."

"I am glad you think so." "Why wouldn't I think so?" "Because you seem to be enjoying this whole thing." "What thing?" "Sneaking around. And to be honest, it excites me more." She giggled as he kissed her neck in delight. "Me too. But this is not the kind of life I want for eternity. I want your parents and my parents to stop hating each other so much. I want to be with you for always." He nodded with a sad smile and caressed her face. "And we will be. I love you so much, Rebekah Mikaelson. I would die for you." She showed him her wonderful icy blue eyes and touched his warm hands. "And I would gladly die for you in return." They embraced one another for a couple more moments until Rebekah whispered, "I have to get back home. Cami and the others should start their tests by now with my father." "I wish them luck, they're gonna need it after Mikael is through with them."

…

Mikael prepared the training room and pushed away the materials so there was enough space in the middle. Hayley, Camille, Davina and Sophie were standing tall and firm, waiting for their aptitude tests. They were dressed in black sport-outfits, with Rebekah and Esther by their side. Klaus, Elijah, Finn and Kol were preparing the dummies and the guns for action. Mikael was also dressed up in pants and a shirt, as he cracked his knuckles, making Hayley sick to her stomach. She remembered what she and Klaus talked about this morning and it gave her some hope that maybe, she will pass this and become the daughter of a mobster, like she had to be, in order to fulfill this family's wishes. Klaus came over to her at that moment and for some unknown reason, her heart started fluttering. He placed the gun in her hand and mumbled, "Shoot straight." When he nodded, he went behind her back and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her shudder at the feel of his hands on her bare skin. He kept them there before whispering in her ear, "No tension, little wolf, and you will be just fine."

The next half an hour went by as fast as you can imagine, if you are under stress. Hayley remained there, paralyzed with the gun in her hand as she realized that this would be her future, the future her parents had been trying to keep her away from, until this very moment. Mikael was battling Sophie, as she was getting some good punches. As for the shooting, Sophie did great, not missing one shot. Mikael told them they had three shots. One in the head, in the stomach and in the knee of the dummy. Sophie was so precise that she did not miss an inch. Once her turn ended, Finn clapped and whistled as she rolled her eyes at his immature behavior. Davina went up next and her face showed fear. She knew how to shoot, of course she did. But as emotive as she was, she missed the shot which was meant for the head. Kol showed no reaction, only hate was in his eyes as he watched the poor girl being dealt with by his father. Hayley gasped as she saw Davina was punched to the ground as she whimpered. She stood up and did the best she could, resulting in a few punches in the gut she gave Mikael, but she lost the fight. Mikael shook his head in disappointment but said, "There is room for improvement. You have potential, my dear." Hayley could see the look in Davina's eyes as she realized that maybe she didn't even want to win this. As Cami's turn came next, she did absolutely wonderful, not missing a shot, and she pulled her hair up for her fight with Mikael. She threw a good few punches which sent him to the ground, but there was no winner there and Mikael loved a tie as good as a victory.

"Hayley!" Mikael exclaimed and her head snapped up to see that he was pointing at the fresh dummy brought out for her. She looked around desperately to catch Klaus' eyes, but he was looking passive and certainly didn't meet her eyes, as he waited with his brothers. Hayley bit her lip, nervous and even more discouraged that he was not offering her any support. She stepped onto the platform and held out her hands with the gun in them. The vision came before her eyes once again and they watered. _Jack kept the gun close to him, as he looked at the man tied up on chair, blood covering his face. Gulping, he pointed the gun to the man's forehead and Mikael was smirking at having accomplished to persuade this man to join him in the business. It was a necessity for him to get the money for his mother's already developed cancer. Hayley's mouth dropped as she saw her own father pull the trigger and shot the man directly in his forehead, blood pouring out of it. Hayley was about to scream, finding it hard to breathe, when her mother pulled her in her arms and ran out of the basement as fast as she could._ "Dad, no." Hayley whispered before she could stop herself and the gun was trembling in her hands. She was about to drop it when she felt a pair of hands around her waist and his breathing against her neck. It was soothing her and for that one moment, the vision disappeared and she was able to see the dummy clearly.

"It is in the past. It does not concern you now. Close one eye and just shoot. You will be fine, little wolf." Klaus whispered and Hayley nodded, as she realized he knew she was having that vision of her past, cloud her judgement again. "She is ready now, Father!" Klaus exclaimed and stepped back to his brothers as Hayley held out the gun in front of her and shot the head. She did it perfectly. A smile of satisfaction appeared on her face as she did the same thing to the knee and then to the stomach. Three perfect shots. She had gained a lot of points and succeeded without having to think about the horror of doing this to a real person. But her heart sank as she realized that soon, she would have to. She would be just like her father eight years ago, forced to do something beyond humane simply to surprise the world she was in. She was adopted by Jack and Annabelle when she was a baby. This was not obligation. This was chance and destiny because there was the possibility for her to be adopted by a different family, but this was the family chosen by her and Hayley knew that she had to embrace the Mafia now.

Mikael was ready for her as he held out his fists in front of him and they started the battle. She remembered that she needed to win. She needed to do this. All of a sudden, Mikael punched her in the jaw and she landed on the ground, spitting blood as he kicked her in the stomach. "Mikael!" Esther called out, shocked that he was being more brutal to her than the other girls before her. "Why?" Hayley whispered in shock as she realized that even though she was on the ground, Mikael continued to kick her. "No!" Hayley yelled out in pain as she tried to scamper away but Mikael slammed her down again and looked at her again. "Do not worry, sweetheart. This is simply punishment for your father's mistake today." Hayley gasped as he punched her in the face, giving her a huge bruise. Tears silently streamed down her face as Mikael leaned back away from her and said with a smile, "There you go. Now you may tell your father that we are even. You have done very well, Hayley! Welcome to the family!" He walked away from her as Hayley could barely move. She felt the bruise on her face and the kicks in her stomach and her rib cage affected her greatly. Camille, Sophie, Rebekah and Davina dropped on their knees in front of her. "Everything will be okay." Rebekah said to her in a soothing voice.

Hayley knew how much she hated to look weak by crying but this pain was unforgivable. She growled as Rebekah touched her stomach and she said to her mother, "We need lots of ice, Mother!" There was a moment of silence as Hayley was laid down on the ground in the training room, with her eyes closed from the pain when she heard his voice. "Bring me the ice and the bandages to my room." He stated to one of the maids as Hayley slowly opened her eyes and tried to say something but her voice failed her. "You may go. I will take care of her from here." Klaus told Esther as Hayley felt his hands on her body, pulling her to him. "Klaus." Hayley managed to whisper as she found herself in his arms but her eyes were drooping fast. His eyes showed no emotion, no feelings at all as he looked at her, and slowly, he left the training room along with her in his arms.

 **A/N: Mikael hurt Hayley pretty bad and he did it to spite Jack because of how he revealed to the Board how he was in love with Adrianna once before Richard Gerald, Marcel's father, stole her from Mikael. But Hayley did pass the tests with success and we will have the weddings in the next chapter, with more surprises.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	12. Breaking Point

**In the previous chapter, Klaus and Hayley found common peace and decided to go with the flow from the moment they would be married. Kol and Davina had an unpleasant chat, which led them to be cold in their relationship. Jack revealed a secret about Mikael's past with Adrianna Gerald, which revealed the hatred Mikael has for the family. Camille had caught a glimpse of Marcel and his new maiden, as she does her best to fulfil Elijah's desires. As the girls passed their tests, Mikael allowed himself to apply extra pressure on Hayley because of Jack, leading to terrible results.**

* * *

 **PLOT: After being bruised and hit by Mikael, Hayley is offered care by the man who is going to be her husband, as the two share their feelings on the thought that they would soon be husband and wife. Esther warns Rebekah about the terrible future she sees for the Geralds, as she knows of Mikael's plans, warning her daughter to make a thoughtful decision. Sophie discovers an important family secret, and is warned by Finn and Esther to keep quiet until they find a way to deal with it. Annabelle discusses with her family Mikael's proposition. The weddings of the couples take place, as they claim their vows, promising to fulfil each other's needs, always and forever.**

* * *

"Klaus." She whimpered again as the pain struck her in the stomach, the place it hurt most. Her eyes opened again and then drooped. It went that way until she could feel the warmness of his room. Why did he bring her to his room and not to her own? The thought of spending more time with him now because of her injuries made her shiver in delight. She didn't feel like hating him anymore. Hayley wanted him to be with her, and take away the pain his father had inflicted upon her. She tried to say something but nothing would come out of her mouth, as she felt the soft material of his bed, as she was gently being placed on it. Hayley opened her eyes when she heard some other footsteps and she could see maids coming in the room, and Klaus stood aside, letting them do their thing. Her shirt and her jeans came off in seconds as the maids oiled her and then bandaged the wounds on her stomach and her ribs. She was rested back on the bed with only her bra and her panties on, the bandages on her and a bag of ice on her cheek, where the bruise was. "Leave." Klaus finally demanded and the maids left the room without saying anything else. Hayley kept her eyes closed and the bag on her cheek, as the ice took care of the bruise, but it still stung her like crazy, making tears well up in her eyes.

The coldness was killing her and at that moment, she felt him taking a seat on the bed and pulling the duvet on top of her, as he took away her hand from the ice bag and he ended up being the one to hold it for her, as the other hand went to her stomach, over her bandage. Hayley couldn't help but smile lightly at the care he was showing, only when she was not noticing or when she was in too much pain to notice. He didn't want her to know how caring he could be. He didn't want to let anyone in because he was stubborn. Hayley didn't dare open her eyes and spoil the moment. She kept her eyes closed, making him think that she had somehow fallen asleep. After about twenty minutes, Hayley felt the ice being removed from her face. Her eyes opened and she saw him getting up from the bed, but her hand went directly towards him and grabbed onto his arm, not letting go. Klaus furrowed his eyebrows as he turned around to see her laying there, with her eyes open and there was a small smile playing on her face. "Oh, you're awake." He said simply, not showing any emotion in return. "You thought I was asleep?" she asked him, her smile widening.

He shook his head after contemplating the situation for a couple of moments. "How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting back down, seeing her insistence but he removed her hand from his. Hayley sighed in disappointment before whispering, "How do you think I feel? I have never been maltreated this way in my entire life. I have never been hit, and I have never accidently caused myself physical pain." Their eyes met for a moment and then Klaus turned away, chuckling. "You find this funny? I am hurt!" Hayley snapped in anger. "Yes, I find it funny. You think this is the worst it can get? My father went easy on you. I get this once a week when I fight others and I get twice more pain than you do now." "But you have been raised to cope with it. I haven't, Klaus." "It is never too late to learn. Now, why don't you get some rest because your big day is tomorrow." He winked before standing up but she called out, "Wait!" "What do you want now?" "Why do you need to leave?" Klaus looked dumbfounded by the question. "Because you need rest after what you have experienced." "And you feel no need to sit down and talk to me about something?" Hayley asked him.

"No. Why would I?" "You tell me. You brought me to your room, not mine. Mikael and Esther are the only ones sharing a bed in this house because they love each other as husband and wife. The others stay in separate rooms, so why am I…?" "Hayley, don't you dare go there!" Klaus snapped at her, raising his finger as he stepped closer to her. "What did I say?" Hayley asked, innocently, as he took a seat back on the bed. "You are not to make any assumptions. You are hurt and I have decided to take care of you, hence I brought you to my room, so I can take care of your injuries but that is all I can offer you. Tomorrow, you shall go back to your room and get ready for this wedding." Hayley bit her lip and realized that she will never succeed in getting him to show some sort of feelings towards her, so she gave up for the moment. A moment of silence followed as Hayley whispered afterwards, "What is going to happen after the wedding?" "The business goes on, little wolf." "That's it? That is all you have to say?" "What do you expect me to say to you?" "What is going to happen to me? My life…will it no longer have any meaning?" "What do you need for it to have a meaning? You are in the Mafia…" "I want a job, so I can do something…" "No!" "What? Why not? My mother has a job, Davina's mother also has one. Why can't I get one?" "Not in this family. My mother is a housewife and you shall be the same."

"And what will you be doing?" "Working my hardest to prove to my father that I deserve a spot on the Board, as any others do." "You're too young." Hayley told him before she could stop herself. Klaus raised an eyebrow. "As far as I know, 26 is not that young, little wolf. I am going to have a wife, children, everything someone with a family would want or rather need." Hayley looked at him for a moment before mumbling, "Children?" He looked at her sternly and nodded, "Yes, of course. We will need to carry out the line of the family, will we not? My father expects grandchildren and I shall offer him and my mother what they deserve." "Just because your father wants you to have children? Don't you want to have a child?" Hayley asked, feeling her heart shattering as he replied, "I find them unnecessary at this point in my life when I am searching for my true identity and my success." "Yes, of course. You search for that while I stay home, knit and become an incubator, popping out children once a year for you and your family!" "I don't like your tone, love." "The hell with my tone, Klaus! I am not going to live like this with you!" He stared at her for a few minutes before whispering, "Why do you want a job so badly? Most women would kill to have everything they want, without having to lift a finger for it."

"Well, I am not those girls you used to screw around with in bed, Klaus." Hayley told him and his eyes darkened as he laid on the bed on top of her, but not putting any sort of pressure on her. Her eyes widened in shock as she thought hard about what he was doing. "What do you know about my past relationships?" "Rebekah told me enough. I am not like them, Klaus. You have been warned." There was an amused smile playing on his lips as he said, "You are warning me now? My, my, what a twisted turn of events. You do have a lot of nerve, considering that you are talking to the man who saved you from being raped, offered you council to pass my father's tests and last but not least, am the one taking care of your wounds. This is how I get repaid?" He would not move away from her and her breathing hitched as he continued to stay on top of her, blocking her escape. She shook her head and said in a soft tone, "You're right. I'm sorry." He looked taken aback, as if he was not expecting an apology at all. Pulling back, he noticed that she continued to look at him, replying, "I know that this marriage is going to be loveless and I only ask for one thing and that is to be respected." Klaus nodded and responded, "You shall be given respect if you obey the rules." "No. Those rules are absurd. I am not allowed to touch you without your permission, I am to speak when spoken to, I am to please you whenever you want, to keep myself as a trophy for you in fact. No, I will not."

Hayley closed her eyes as she felt another pain hit her chest at the thought of spending the rest of her life next to a man who didn't love her. She was expecting another blow after she had told him in his face that she would not obey his rules. He completely disregarded her remark and whispered, "Would you consider…being a part of the Mafia Board?" Her eyes widened in shock as she turned to look at him, still resting her head on the pillow but making sure that the bruise on her cheek would not touch anything which could cause her anymore pain. "Why would you ask me something like that?" Hayley posed the question, as he continued to stare at her. "I thought that might count as a job." "I graduated from Harvard Medical School, Klaus. That is not my domain." "It doesn't have to be a domain, if you have the ability to come up with ideas to make the business work, you are to be accepted." "You seriously think that your father will place me in the Board. He didn't place you." "He will soon, and I might be able to do this favor for you, so you don't…how should I say it…get bored around here." There was a slight sarcasm in his tone and Hayley could understand why. She thought about it and realized that it was better than nothing. "Okay. Thank you." She finally told him. He looked at her face for a couple more moments before turning around and leaving the room. Hayley closed her eyes and thought of herself as an idiot for having thought that maybe he was starting to care about her.

…

"Rebekah, my love, where have you been? I have been looking all over the house for you!" Esther exclaimed when she finally found her daughter, coming through the front door. Her face was flushed and her clothes were not straightened. Esther could easily guess where her daughter had been. "Sorry, I was simply outside to get some fresh air after such a scandal! Mother, I truly think that Father was harsh on those girls, especially Hayley." "My dear, I understand what you mean, but you cannot question your father's actions that way." "You question them." "I am his wife." "And aren't the wives of Mikaelsons supposed to obey the rules? You are not obeying them." "Your father has made an exception for me because he loves me." Rebekah crossed her hands over her chest stubbornly as Esther continued speaking. "You were supposed to be with me, helping me arrange the ceremony for tomorrow. I have spoken to Father Kieran and he is more than glad to unite the four pairings tomorrow night under the full moon." Rebekah giggled and said, "It is kind of romantic to have an outdoor night wedding, isn't it?"

"Yes, and I wish for it to perfect, which means no more distraction until tomorrow, not even for you." Esther eyed her warily as Rebekah nodded innocently. "Yeah, of course. But why do I get the feeling that I did something wrong, Mother?" "No, you have not done something wrong. Technically, no. But you are so naïve my dear…" "Why would I be naïve?" "You still have the impression that you can have a future with Marcel Gerard. My dear, with what your father is planning, that is nowhere near possible." "And what is Father planning?" "A revolution. The Geralds have now become the main suspects of taking our money or at least knowing something about it." Rebekah stared at her in shock and shook her head in disagreement. "No, I don't believe that. They never had something against our family. It was Daddy who always found a way to go against them." Esther shrugged but placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Whatever you might think about them, does not change the fact that your father sees them as absolute traitors, and you must leave Marcel Gerald this instant." "No, I can't do that." "My daughter, you are frightening me." "No, you and Daddy are frightening me. What are you saying? That the family has become a target just because he doesn't like them?"

"That may be so, but the whole Board has agreed to investigate them after their alliance would be sealed through the marriages of your brothers tomorrow to the girls. If the Geralds are found guilty, you know that your father will not hesitate to shoot bullets in their heads." "NO!" Rebekah yelled out but Esther covered her mouth and they went into the kitchen to speak more privately. "No, Mother. Daddy cannot do that. Please tell me that he is not going to do that. I love Marcel. I…I should tell him." Rebekah tried to free herself from her mother's grasp but she would not let her. "No, you will do no such thing. Can you imagine the burden you will become on this family if your father found out about your secret relationship with that boy? You will be exiled from the city. You will become a shame, and I…I could get enough punishment for keeping your secret from my own husband." "And Nik." Rebekah mumbled. "What about your brother?" "He knows too. He found out, but he hasn't told Father." Esther was shocked. "This is the first time I am hearing of Niklaus keeping something like this from your father. Why would he accept to do that?" "He accepted because he loves me and he wants me to be happy, so can we please just drop it? I will not leave Marcel for anything. I would rather die than not be with him."

"Rebekah Mikaelson, you do not speak such insolent words! This relationship of yours is not real. It is a fantasy which can never come true. You and Marcel Gerard will never be able to walk freely around this town, holding hands and smiling at one another, as others smile back, happy for your own happiness as a couple. You will never receive your father's blessing and not even mine." "Then why have you agreed to keep this secret for me? Why haven't you told Father?" Rebekah asked her. "Because I thought that you would soon be mature enough to understand that what you have with that boy cannot last. I thought that you would have your fun and soon break off. I was even about to suggest to your father that he finds you a suitor just so you can stop obsessing over Marcel." "For God's sake, Mother! I am not obsessing over him! I am in love with him! Do you not understand what that means? I want to be with him whatever it takes!" "No. No chance of what happening." "Then I meant what I said. I would rather die!" Rebekah snapped. At that moment, a slap landed on her face, making her gasp, shocked that her mother would do something like that to her. Tears streamed down her face and for that one moment, Esther felt sorry for what she had done.

She caressed the cheek she had slapped and said in a soothing voice, "I do want you to be happy, my darling daughter. But not this way, not with a man like him." "There is nothing wrong with him." "His family's reputation is wrong, my love and I do not want you to suffer when they all turn to dust because of your father. That is why I am asking you to focus on the weddings at the moment after which you will think carefully about what you have to lose." "But I…" "Not another word on it, please. Let's just focus on the guest list for now. Tell me who we are to invite." Esther was expecting an answer and finally, Rebekah responded with her eyes facing the floor in great disappointment, "Just the families, Mother." Esther nodded and as the blonde girl turned to leave, her mother grabbed her again and hissed, "You are not to tell anyone about your father's plans, or so help me, Rebekah…" "I won't." "I am sorry I have to be this hard on you but it pains me to think that you would choose love over family." Esther's worry deepened as Rebekah walked away, without saying anything in return.

…

The next day was a blissful one for everyone in the family, except for the brides. The grooms had each taken the liberty of choosing their own tux, as Esther and Rebekah continued preparing the decorations, flowers and the music for the couples' first dances. Mikael, of course, being the arrogant one had made sure to announce throughout the city that his sons would soon be married that day, so the press could arrive, take a few photos and video footages for themselves and expose their popularity to the city, but of course, no one else outside the family was invited to the big event. Sophie was standing in front of the window, looking down at the last minute preparations that evening and startled when the door opened and Finn walked inside, not noticing her but his eyes wondered around for something. Sophie frowned and whispered, "What are you doing in my room before the ceremony?" Finn looked over at her for the first time and winked before heading to her bathroom and picking up what seemed to be a tie. "Ah, I found it!" he exclaimed with delight and turned to the door, but not before glancing at her one last time and whispering seductively, "I sure can't wait to take you out of that." "Ugh! Like hell…" He left the room before she could continue.

He had already seen her in her dress before the ceremony and Jane Anne had always told her that this was bad look. Sophie bit her lip but realized that the Mikaelsons didn't care that much about these silly traditions. She left the room and went to search for him to give him a piece of her mind. Once stopping outside of Finn's room, she heard voices, so she stopped walking and pressed her ear against the door so she could hear better what was going on. "Tell me what else your father is planning, Finn. I trust you and I deserve to know the truth." "No, Mother. He does not want you to get involved." "Where do these 500.000 $ come from, Finn?" "What are you talking about?" "You know what I am talking about. I overheard your father talking on the phone with some sort of dealer. He said to the dealer that he didn't have the money to pay him back. Is this the money we need for a payback? I don't understand what is going on. I thought your father's goal was to return us the money for my operation, for my new lung." Esther said, as she started coughing again, making Finn look panicky.

"Oh my God, Mother! Are you feeling alright?" "I will be as soon as you tell me what you know about the money your father is trying desperately to hunt down." Finn sighed and said in a lower voice, but one Sophie could still hear. "Those 500.000 $...are not ours, Mother. They don't even belong to the Board. That is not our money. Not exactly, anyway." "What is that supposed to mean." "Look, I shouldn't be saying anything. Father would kill me…" "And I want to kill all of you for keeping secrets from me still. You tell me right now where the money came from and I promise you that I will not tell your father that I found out from you. I will tell him that I overheard his phone conversations and put the pieces of the puzzle together, okay? Please, just tell me the truth. I am after all, your mother." "Alright. You know how Father tried to strike a deal with Giuseppe Salvatore, the Mafia President of Mystic Falls five years ago?" "Yes, of course. I remember him but what deal?" "They were working on a peace treaty between New Orleans families and the Mystic Falls families who have been rivals for as long as we can remember." "What happened? Tell me." "I am getting there. So, they struck up this deal, and they got drunk one night, they played poker, and finally it was Father who won the 500.000 $, only Giuseppe believed that he had cheated." "And had he cheated?" Esther asked him. Finn shrugged. "That I don't know. Father never gave a clean answer. After that poker match, the so called peace treaty ended and Father returned home. We all know that it was Giuseppe who used some inside man from around here to steal the money back."

"Inside man? Who?" "At first, Father thought that it was Casper Roland, and that is why we went after him that night we were supposed to be the party at Rousseau's. Father ended up killing him because he didn't talk, and now, the biggest suspects of being the inside family of New Orleans, working for Giuseppe, are the Geralds." "Richard and Adrianna? Why would they be working against us?" "Because of Father, because he never allowed them inside the Board. So he thinks that they aligned themselves with the ultimate enemy, the Salvatore family. That is why Father wants to inspect them after the wedding, to find proof that they had in fact been the traitors." "But he is doing this because he hates them, right?" "Because he hates Adrianna the most and Richard because…" "Yes, I know. There is no need to remind me." Esther whispered in a sad tone. "And Father is doing his best to retrieve that money even if it does not rightfully belong to us, because he loves you and you need it for your operation. For a new lung transplant." Sophie couldn't help herself and she gasped. She gulped as she heard footsteps approach the door and she headed back to her room, but before she could close the door, Finn grabbed her arm and pulled her to him as he kept his hands on her upper arms. "What did you hear?"

"I…" "What did you hear? Don't lie to me!" Finn exclaimed. "Everything!" Sophie snapped back. He sighed and pulled back from her, asking, "What were you doing outside my room?" "I wanted to talk to you but you seemed busy." "There was no need for eavesdropping. You could have come back at another time." Finn answered and before she could reply, Esther came inside and smiled dearly at Sophie, saying, "What a magnificent bride you are, Sophie Deveraux!" "Thank you. What is going on?" she asked. "Ah, getting right to the point now." "I heard everything." "Then you should know my dear that it is not your place to say anything to anyone." "That money we are trying to get back, that money might not even be ours. We are going to turn many other families in the states against us. They will come for us. Can't you see that?" Finn simply shook his head as he grabbed Sophie and mumbled, "Not a word about this, do you understand? Not a word until we figure this out. Now get ready for the ceremony!" With that, Esther and Finn left her room.

…

The night lights were turned on at 8 PM and the night sky was showing beautiful stars draping over the great festivity. People were seated as the music begun and the brides approached their grooms in union. Father Kieran had agreed to do the one thing he hadn't done before and that is to unite four pairs at the same time. _"We are gathered together on this beautiful afternoon to share with Niklaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall, Elijah Mikaelson and Camille O'Connell, Finn Mikaelson and Sophie Deveraux, and Kol Mikaelson alongside Davina Claire as they unite their souls, showing their devotion to one another. We are privileged to witness the joyous love of a new family - a family that will be nourished and nurtured through the devotion of separate individuals growing together through the common bonds of love. May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort and contentment that are known in the hearts of all God's children! And may they look forward to each new season of their marriage - just as the world looks forward to each new season of the year. For all seasons bring with them their own special moments and memories."_ The presentation speech was indeed beautifully chosen by Father Kieran, but everyone knew that "love" was not the key word to this marriage. "Alliance" was the true word that bonded these people together. Hayley looked up into Klaus' eyes as Father Kieran continued speaking. He looked down at her but didn't smile, didn't show any emotion, just as she was used to. When the time came, they held hands, as Father Kieran passed at each pairing to unite them.

Finally, he passed over the last pair, as Klaus' hands tightened around hers. _"At this time, I'll ask you, Niklaus, and you, Hayley, to face each other and look in each other's eyes!"_ They did as they were asked to, as Kieran continued speaking. _"Niklaus, do you take Hayley to be your wife, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish her friendship and love her today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor her, laugh with her and cry with her? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"_ There was a blush that crept on her cheeks as she noticed the look on his face as Kieran said that. It was completely off, since "love" was not a part of this deal. But of course, the press was there, and they were taking photos. They needed to look like a true madly in love couple, and be pleasant to the eye, as Mikael had informed them. "I do." Klaus finally stated. _"Hayley, do you take Niklaus to be your husband, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish his friendship and love him today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor him, laugh with him and cry with him? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"_ "I do." Hayley said at once, trying to sound as convincing as possible as people were snapping photos.

 _"By the power vested in me by the state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you all, husband and wife! You may kiss your brides, gentlemen!"_ Kieran called out. Hayley noticed that for appearance's sake, Elijah, Finn and Kol had all taken the liberty of kissing their now wives shortly. Her heart started beating faster, as she realized that this was the moment she was most afraid of, the way her lips would feel against his for the first time. She had never kissed anyone beside Jackson. He was leaning closer as the others finished with their presentation kisses. Her eyes closed, prepared for what was coming but her heart stopped when she felt his lips against her cheek. A peck on the cheek was all he could offer her as he pulled back, kissed her hand for the press and then joined the other couples, with their parents. Klaus let go of her hand and Hayley felt as if this was the biggest blow she could take. It was bad enough that Rebekah had to cover up her bruise with lots of cream in order to make it invisible to the eye, but at this moment, she felt like she was trash, in comparison to the other girls. "Hayley!" someone called out and she turned around, smiling as she was greeted by her own mother, and her father who was beside her.

"Annabelle, take it easy." Jack informed her but she scoffed saying, "Leave me alone, Jack. Look at how unhappy she is. I just have to be here for her." Hayley hugged her mother tightly and whispered, "I missed you so much." "Hayley, what happened to your cheek?" he asked as he touched it. Hayley pushed his hand away and said, "Nothing. I just got hurt during the test yesterday. It's nothing to worry about, Dad." As much as she loved to tell her father what Mikael had done, she decided that for peace's sake, she should put it behind her. It was certainly not worth it. "He did not kiss you." Annabelle whispered but Hayley shook her head. "Mother, it is fine! I can assure you. There is nothing going on between us. We had to form this alliance for you and for Mikael, Father. But that is all that is ever going to be between us and he made sure to show me this through his gestures." Annabelle shook her head. "My dear, this is not something you deserve." Hayley whispered, "We need to put on bright faces. The press is here, Mom." "Oh, they can go to hell with their news and their photos!" "Annabelle!" "What, Jack? My daughter is hurting because of these idiotic…" "No, Mom, stop! There is only one way you can help me now." "And how is that, my dear?" "Take Mikael's offer and become a part of the Board."

"No, I can't. I am not about to join Mikael's clan. It is bad enough my husband has to go through this." Hayley touched her shoulder and said with a smile, "You should do this, Mother. You can help me a lot, and you can probably terminate Mikael with your cleverness. Please do this for me. That is all I am asking you. I need an inside woman, if you know what I mean." Hayley winked and her mother giggled, "You sure are your father's daughter. Come here, and promise me that you will try to be happy somehow." Hayley embraced her mother but the smile disappeared from her face the moment she saw Klaus standing there, talking to Mikael. Their eyes met for a moment and Hayley could see there was regret in his own. He finished his discussion with Mikael and started walking towards her. Hayley pulled back from the hug and whispered, "I think I want to be alone right now. Have fun all of you! "Take care." Jack said with a smile as he and Annabelle parted ways with their daughter. Her dress was making her uncomfortable and so Hayley decided to take a seat by the river which could be found not far away from the mansion. On the other part of the river, the bayou could be seen from the distance.

"Hayley!" someone called out and she turned around to see Rebekah coming towards her and saying, "Hey. The other girls are asking about you and Nik has been searching for you too. What are you doing here alone?" She took a seat on the bench next to her and watched as a tear, an innocent one fell from her eyelids. "Oh, love, I'm sorry…I can leave you alone if that's what you want." "No, I could use some company and some advice of course because I don't know where to go from here." "What does your heart tell you?" "My heart tells me to find a time machine, to go back, fix things with Jackson so I wouldn't be here now." "Jackson was your past lover?" "Yes." "What happened to the two of you? Did you break up because of my father's deal?" Hayley shook her head. "No. He wanted us to have sex and I didn't agree because I wasn't ready. It was a night at the party at Rousseau's, and he had too much to drink…it's complicated." "I understand." "But Jackson had feelings for me. I know he did. I should have been more understanding of his needs. This was my fault." Rebekah gave her a disapproving look and exclaimed, "Bloody hell, no! How can you even think about giving a man like that another chance?"

"I know how it seems, but I can tell you that it's not like that. I loved him and he loved me. You can forgive things like this, Rebekah, if you truly love the person you are with." "Do you still love this Jackson guy?" Hayley sighed and looked out in the open water. "Honestly, I don't know. I can't know. I have so much going on right now in my life and Jackson is the least of my problems." "Then you should give my brother a chance." That was it for Hayley, as she exploded in anger and stood up, "He should give me a chance! That was everything that I asked of him and he dared make a fool out of me, giving me a plain kiss on the cheek to pronounce our marriage!" "Hayley…" "No, just stop defending him! Enough! I am the one who should be defended! I am the victim here and the one with cracked ribs and a bruise hidden on my cheek! I go through hell, not him! The least I asked of him is to show me some respect and not even that…not even…" Hayley stepped on her white wedding dress and fell down on the grass, but didn't dare stand up as she started sobbing. Rebekah stood up too and immediately went over and pulled her to her feet. "Listen to me, love. My brother…he has never kissed a woman before. This intimate act…he had never experienced it, ever."

Hayley frowned as she heard that and whispered, "What do you mean?" "I mean that he hasn't kissed anyone before." "You told me that he has been with so many women…" "Yes, many women. He had sex, that doesn't mean that he kissed them. He has intimacy issues, and I know he tries desperately to deny that because he is afraid. He is afraid of getting involved emotionally with someone. He believes it to be a weakness for him, as I see love as strength for a person. I tried speaking to him many times but, nothing works. That is why I told you that this marriage can really do him some good." "I don't want this to do him good. Just as I am suffering, I want him to suffer." Hayley whispered. Rebekah pulled her into a tight hug and said, "I know what it's like to feel alone, even when you are surrounded by so many people, but that is why you have me and the other girls back there. You can talk about these issues and figure things out together. Girl power, remember?" Rebekah's comfort was helping her overcome her heartache as Hayley finally agreed to return to the party.

Her parents were nowhere to be seen and Hayley believed that they had decided to return to their homes, as Mikael was acting like his arrogant self in front of the press, just as expected. Hayley played with her fingers as she observed Davina standing by Kol obediently, as she talked to her parents. There was a certain look on her face which told Hayley that she was afraid of saying anything wrong. Finn had a the smile of a clown on his face as he swayed Sophie back and forth on the dance floor and Hayley rolled her eyes, realizing that he had been drinking too much again. Camille and Elijah were sitting together looking over some book, as she now stood alone. Rebekah had gone God knew where and a wonderful song started playing which made her heart swoon, as she remembered her and Jackson dancing to this melody once upon a time. "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey. She stood there, watching some pairs dancing, including Camille and Elijah and Finn with Sophie. Mikael also showed a true smile for the first time that night as he held Esther in his arms. A hand grabbed her waist just as the melody ended.

She turned her head and saw him looking at her with concern. "Where were you?" Klaus whispered as he firmly kept her next to him, by her waist, as if afraid to let her go again. "None of your business. I was nowhere." Hayley responded, moving her head away. Klaus sighed and moved in front of her. "Share a dance with me." "Why would I do that?" "Because you are now officially my wife and you are to please and not to displease me." "I am not dancing with you." "Love, you are making a scene…" "So what if I am?" Hayley raised her voice as her eyes flared into his, unafraid of anything. Klaus' teeth clenched as he looked at her. He then gently took her hands in his and whispered, "Little wolf, please…dance with me, your husband." She averted her eyes from him.

 **A/N: Will Hayley dance with Klaus or show him up by breaking his rules again? The next chapter will have some very hot scenes of course since it will be a some sort of consummation night. We will see which couples do consummate their marriage and which couples won't. Who do you think will and who do you think won't?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	13. Passion And Necessity Run Together

**Responding to td's review: Yes, you're right. The Mafia husbands are usually protective of their wives and treat them with care even though they submit and the Marshall, Claire, Deveraux and O'Connell families followed those rules but the Mikaelsons are a whole different story. Yes, the Mikaelson family is rich, and Mikael claims he needs the money for Esther's operation but that is not true. This is about his pride. He wants his wife to believe that it is for his lungs. And as for Hayley, yes, she will have something to occupy her time with, but being a part of the Board will not be it.**

 **The last chapter of Corrupted Souls brought Sophie some shocking news from Finn and Esther that the money Mikael is trying so desperately to get back might not belong to him after all, but to the greats rival of the Mikaelson family, the Salvatore family. Annabelle had agreed after a discussion with her daughter to take a place on the Board and make decisions, as Hayley sought comfort, about her marriage, in Rebekah. Finally, the chapter ended with a dance proposal from Klaus to her new bride.**

* * *

 **PLOT: After trying hard to convince her that she won't be ignored in this marriage, Klaus informs Hayley of the things one couple must fulfill in the Mikaelson family on the night of the marriage. The party is ruined for Camille and Elijah, who were beginning to get along, as an unexpected visitor arrives, shocking both Camille and her Uncle Kieran of a discovery. Esther informs Mikael of her knowledge which leads him to take extra special precautions for his family after the marriage. As the clock strikes midnight, the couples must fulfil their duties to the family, ones who will and ones who won't. Meanwhile, a disappearance occurs, stirring panic in the family.**

* * *

"Little wolf, please…dance with me, your husband." He had whispered to her ever so gently, as he took her hands in his and Hayley did nothing but avert her eyes from him but the press was starting to look at them from the distance way too suspicious. Her breathing hitched as she noticed that Mikael and Esther were also looking at her while dancing and they did not seem pleased at all. Hayley knew that she probably shouldn't offer him the satisfaction in knowing that he has her where he wants her. The rules stated clear that a Mikaelson wife is not going to displease her husband, and now as an official wife, Hayley knew that she was playing with fire by trying to break the horrific rules. Her hand trembled a little as she placed it in his own. They headed onto the dance floor just as a melody from Lykke Li started playing, "Sleeping Alone". Hayley couldn't understand why this melody always reminded her of how she had never found her own place in life, never felt like she belonged anywhere. She often dreamed that she would run, that she would just take off into the world so the people who know her would never hear from her again. She couldn't understand why she had such a crazy thought. Her parents loved her, but maybe deep inside her heart, that was not enough for her.

"Are you cold?" he suddenly asked her and Hayley snapped out of her trance as she looked up into his eyes and saw concern in them. She hadn't realized that her hands were shaking while they were dancing. "Um…no." she responded bluntly. She dropped her hands from his shoulder, as he was still holding onto her waist, swaying gently with her. Hayley closed her eyes, biting her lip and then she reopened her eyes on to have them stare at his lips. Those lips were…perfect. Why would this happen? Why had he refused to kiss women, while he had been with so many? There was a sinking feeling in her heart as she realized that she would spend the rest of her life married to a man who would never offer her a passionate kiss, not even one. His eyes showed confusion as she continued to stare at his lips but she refused to pose the question _._ _"Listen to me, love. My brother…he has never kissed a woman before. This intimate act…he had never experienced it, ever." Hayley frowned as she heard that and whispered, "What do you mean?" "I mean that he hasn't kissed anyone before." "You told me that he has been with so many women…" "Yes, many women. He had sex, that doesn't mean that he kissed them. He has intimacy issues, and I know he tries desperately to deny that because he is afraid. He is afraid of getting involved emotionally with someone. He believes it to be a weakness for him, as I see love as strength for a person. I tried speaking to him many times but, nothing works. That is why I told you that this marriage can really do him some good."_

The things Rebekah had told her, made Hayley even more confused by the situation. She couldn't imagine a man sleeping with a woman just for the pleasure that woman offered him. Her mother had always told her that there was a huge difference between having sex and making love, but Hayley had always believed that it was the same thing, and there were feelings involved in both. She never imagined that one would sleep with another without having any emotion or feelings for each other. That was just wrong, in her book. "You are not feeling well." It was not a question coming from him. He could see it clearly from the face of disgust on her face. He was about to say something but she commented, "You love pretending like this, don't you? In front of the cameras? I suppose this will be our entire life together. You are going to present me in public as your darling wife when in reality, I will be living alone in your family's mansion.""Do not make this more dramatic than it needs to be, little wolf?" "Dramatic? Me?" When he didn't say anything, she continued, "I know you had a certain life before this marriage idea was placed on your head by your father. I have told you this before, but I will not accept you ignoring me."

"I will not be ignoring you." "Then what will you be doing? Having a child for your father is the only thing that interests you. You want to do it for your father, to please him but not for yourself and not because you truly want a family, and especially not a family with me." He kept her close to him so she would not break free as the melody ended. "There. I have shared a dance with you like any dutiful wife should. Now let go of me." "No." "Why? What do you want from me?" "Hayley…" "What?" she snapped at him and he growled, "I do not appreciate your tone, wife. Unless you want me to…" "Don't worry. The damage has already been done by your father." Hayley wiped off the cream which was on her cheek so her bruise would clearly be visible. He immediately placed his hand on her cheek while the press was still snapping photos. He groaned as he observed how hurt she was because of the pain. "I believe it is time for us to retire to our chambers." "I am not retiring anywhere. I want to be alone." "And you will be alone, in your chamber if that is what you wish." She shivered once again as he pulled his hand away. At once, he pulled off his jacket and placed it around her as he growled, "Don't you dare lie to me and tell me that you are not freezing when you clearly are!"

"Why do you care?" Hayley asked softly as she coughed and he pulled her to him, rubbing her back softly. "I am simply trying to care for your health and well-being as a husband, love. Don't push this over the edge." She didn't say anything after that as he took her hands in his and pulled her away from the party and into the mansion, where it was warm and well. The maids smiled as they took her coat and one said, "Would you like for me to prepare a bath for you, m'lady?" Hayley frowned and said, "You can call me Hayley…" But Klaus snapped right after her, "Yes, a bath for her will be just fine." "Yes, Master." The maid bowed and then retreated with the others upstairs. "Why do you try to show your superiority to them every chance you get? They are just women doing their job." "Yes, I know that is why my father is paying them and the way they call us requires respect. So, no matter what you say to them, they will never call you by your first name, love." "It is completely unnecessary." Hayley mumbled and wrapped her hands around herself. He eyed her for a moment before putting his hand on her back and leading her upstairs. Her room was wide open in the West Wing…and the bathroom the door was open too.

The maids smiled and came out, bowing and one said, "Master, m'lady, the bath awaits your arrival." "Thank you. You may retreat." Klaus told them. They bowed once again and left, after dimming the lights in the bathroom and closing the door behind them. Hayley stepped over to the bathroom and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the way it looked. It was something dreamy indeed, with the bath salt and the lavender oil. She took a lungful of the smell before realizing that she couldn't wait to dip her body into the warm tub. It was too much to think about after such a night and she wanted to relax in peace. Hayley turned around and started stripping when she stopped and noticed for the first time in the darkness of her room that he was still standing there, with his hands crossed over his chest. "Do you mind? I need to take off my dress." Hayley said in a whisper. Klaus wouldn't budge as he took a seat on the bed and mumbled, "I would really enjoy seeing my wife without anything to cover her body." She blushed madly as she held onto her white dress tightly, knowing how much she would be exposing to him if she let go of it. The zipper was already pulled down. "Klaus…" "There is nothing wrong with what I am asking." "I am not comfortable with your request."

"This will help, seeing as how we will be exploring more of each other at midnight." "Midnight?" Hayley asked in a whisper. "Yes. It is consummation night. I can be assured that you know what that means for us, little wolf." Hayley gasped lightly. He was waiting for the moment to sleep with her. She covered her mouth with her hand. She never truly realized until this moment what she had to do. They had to consummate their marriage of course, which meant her losing her virginity, but a virginity he still didn't know she had." "Klaus…I'm sorry, but I can't. I feel ill." Hayley said when her breathing hitched. Klaus stood up from the bed and looked deep into her eyes. "You are not ill. I would have easily picked up on it. You simply do not wish to sleep with me tonight." Hayley bit her lip as she realized that they were both virgins in their own domains. Her, when it came to sex and him when it came to a soft kiss on the lips, a kiss he never shared with anyone before. "Klaus, you are obliged to sleep with me through your father's wishes after the wedding. I am sure that sleeping with me is not something which you desire. I don't feel well and I wish to be alone tonight. If it is absolutely necessary for us to do this, we should postpone it for another night." "Passion and necessity run together, little wolf." Klaus told her lightly as he raised his hand and slowly traced it over the bruise on her cheek.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hayley asked as she closed her eyes, afraid of what she was feeling deep inside of her. Her stomach and heart were both fluttering like crazy and there was some fire, willing to explode from her body as he traced her naked back with his other hand. She realized what he was trying to do, trying to get her to lose control of herself and of her body. But Hayley would not budge and would not let go of the dress, which could fall to her feet at any moment, revealing her splendid body to him. "It means that I shall be waiting for you in my bedroom at midnight, love." "Your…your…bedroom?" she asked when a shiver erupted through her and Klaus nodded, "Yes, of course. We will proceed with this night as it was meant to be. I will be waiting. Relax and take the long bath, moist your skin…" Klaus leaned over her shoulder and pressed a kiss there, making a slight moan leave her mouth as he smiled at her response. "I can see that I am not the only one burning with desire. Midnight, Hayley." He mumbled in her ear before letting go of her and leaving her room.

…

Camille had been worriedly looking around for Hayley for ages. Finally, settling to the fact that she was probably busy with Klaus, Cami took a seat at an empty table, after leaving her uncle's side. The press had finally decided to leave, which made Cami feel a lot more comfortable as she took out a book she had been dying to continue, "Pride and Prejudice". The story of true love fascinated her and sort of took her out of the real world where she had to act all tough in order to push anyone away who could break her heart. Uncle Kieran was family but Cami knew more than ever that he had ruined her as a family member, as he always favored Gia over her. She closed her eyes and tried to push one hurtful memory from her mind. She had been having sad thoughts about the day her relationship with Gia truly ended. It happened ten years ago, while Gia and Sean were still living in New Orleans.

 _She picked up her darling violin and started playing the music she wanted to ring in her ears. Cami knew that this was her chance. Gia and Sean were out in the hall, as Uncle Kieran was helping their fighting skills, and she was excluded from these special training, as always. Cami knew her father meant well the moment he had asked Uncle Kieran to take care of all of his children. His wife had passed away, making Gia and Sean even colder to the rest of the world, and as for her own mother…she never wanted her, which is why her father was the only one he had, until she was sent to Uncle Kieran. Even though she understood her father's intentions, Cami couldn't help but blame him for the pain he had caused her when he told her that she should do better to integrate in the family. How could she do that when Uncle Kieran never valued her, and Gia and Sean barely spoke to her? They blamed her for the reason the O'Connells split up._

 _Cami continued to sing to her violin, and then at that moment, the door slammed open and Gia walked inside with a roll of her eyes. "What are you doing? Are you seriously trying to compete with me? Haven't you done enough damage by actually existing?" she asked, making the tears well up in Cami's eyes. Gia had said a lot of very hurtful things since the moment they met, but this one was too much. She continued to play the violin when Gia tapped her foot and stated, "Uncle Kieran wants you to stop this racket you call playing the violin. You are embarrassing yourself, Cami." Cami finally found her voice as she continued playing softly, "I am simply embracing what I feel, Gia. I am not making a fool out of myself at all." Gia ran her hand through her hair as she stepped over to her. "Look, I get that you are trying to fit in here, but showing me up with your violin is not going to work. I won the championship five times already. When are you going to give up?" "Gia, I don't play the violin in order to win something. I play because I enjoy the feeling of it." "It is my passion! Just stop copying me already! Do you know how much you anger me and Uncle Kieran too? He warned you…"_

 _Gia's voice trailed off as she realized that Cami was not listening to her, and she continued playing her music. At that moment, Gia grabbed the violin from her hands and slammed it to the ground, smashing it to pieces. "NO!" Cami yelled out and dropped on her knees as she picked up the broken pieces. This violin meant more to her than Gia would have thought. It was a gift from her father, who was the one who told her that she had a talent for music and poetry just as much as Gia had. How could she ever explain that his gift was now broken in pieces? He would never believe that Gia would do something like this. No one would. Gia took a deep breath before saying, "I really hoped it wouldn't have to come down to this. At least now we can get some peace and quiet without your racket!" she snapped at her and left her room. Cami picked up the broken pieces off the ground and tried putting them together, as the sobs erupted through her. All the pain that she felt from the moment she found out from her father, that her mother never wanted her, to the moment when she realized that her half-siblings would never accept her. She just poured everything out with no limit._

"What are you doing here by yourself?" Elijah came forth to her and Cami looked up, smiling at him the best she could, not daring to mention what she was thinking about. She did get a new violin last year, but she never could find the time to practice it. She hadn't even told Elijah about this violin she kept hidden in her room. He took a seat right next to her and looked over at the book she was reading. "Quite fascinating, indeed, but what are we going to do about your poetry?" he asked her. "I can work on it harder. I really think I can succeed." "You will, if I am the one helping you." He continued to look over the pages of her book as Cami smiled at him. "Elijah, you know you don't have to do this." "Of course. There are rules implied here and there…but I want to do this." "But why? I mean, we barely know each other…" "I want to take up some time from now on to get to know you." "Really? I thought that you have business to take care of. How are you going to get to know me?" "I have my ways, Camille." She smiled and looked away, blushing as she thought about the way he had kissed her after their vows.

"You keep calling me that." "I thought that we have been through this. You should be proud of your name. That is the reason why it has been chosen for you." "It was my mother who chose it for me." Cami whispered and her smile faltered. "Really?" "Yes. But I never knew her. She gave me up to my father, since he already had a wife and children, and never bothered to contact me again." His heart stopped as he looked at her face. It was filled with pain, something he wished he could take away, for her own good, that is. He leaned over and touched her hand with his. "We are husband and wife now. I expect you to obey the rules given to you by my mother so there shall be no conflict between our families and for the business to run smoothly." "Yes, of course." "But following rules is not something I settle you to. You are going to be my wife from now on and I intend to treat you like my wife. I do not want you to think that you will be ignored." He gripped her hand and she appreciated his words. "And no secrets." Elijah also whispered, which made her skin prickle as she thought about her violin, locked up in her room. She was afraid of what would happen if he found out. What if he told Father Kieran? Her uncle had specifically stated that she is to renounce poetry and music in order to be a dutiful wife for Elijah.

"Camille!" Uncle Kieran snapped as he marched over to her and Cami bit her lip as she looked over at Elijah, who was still studying her notebook. "Mr. Elijah, what are you doing?" Kieran asked as he looked over his shoulder to see what he was reading, Camille was getting more nervous by the second. It was unimaginable what her uncle would do to her if he found out that she was still occupying her time with poetry. Elijah smiled at him and replied, "Come on now, Father Kieran! Since we are family, there is no need for formalities. I suggest that you call me Elijah from this night onwards. And as for your question, I was simply trying to understand the wonder and passion with which my wife writers her poetry." "Poetry?" Kieran whispered in shock and looked over at Camille, who looked away from him, in horror of the things he could say to her because of her disobedience. "Yes." Elijah replied and furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed the looks Kieran was giving his niece. "You know what? I think that I should just stop doing this." Cami finally whispered and a blush crept on her cheeks as her fingers touched Elijah's. She took the notebook from him and tried to take it away when her uncle snapped, "Camille! This is outrageous of you! Your husband was looking over that material. You are not to take it away without his permission whether it is yours or not!"

"I…" Elijah stood up at that moment, arranging his tux with a charming smile and whispering, "It is quite alright, Father Kieran. I can understand her embarrassment when it comes to her poetry, even if I do find what she is doing in her spare time quite fascinating. She is to do as she pleases when she is not occupied with some of her other duties." Camille, even if she looked pleasingly surprised at how well Elijah was talking about her in front of her uncle, she couldn't bear but look ashamed of the way Kieran was still treating her and even in front of her new husband. She hoped that Elijah would be different, and he would allow her some space and liberty while being in his home. He encouraged her poetry. Did that mean that he could encourage her playing the violin? Cami sighed for a moment as she thought of the moment when she would come out of the shadows and show him the violin she had been keeping in her room. She snapped out of her trance when she felt his hand go in hers and their eyes met as Elijah asked her in a soft voice, "Are you alright?" "Yes, of course." Kieran rolled his eyes and covered his face with his hand and stated, "Anyway, I have simply come to announce you that my niece, Gia is in town and she had considered coming over and congratulating you on your marriage. Do try to be polite, Camille." With that, Kieran walked away and Camille and Elijah stared after him with shocked expressions as they saw Gia approaching them from the distance.

She was wearing a navy blue dress, with her hair pulled back and a charming smile on her face, the smile which made Elijah fall for her in the first place. He immediately stood up with sweat running down his forehead, thinking that this was the time Gia had chosen and she would inevitably tell her sister about her past relationship with him. Cami stood up too and pursed her lips as she thought of the way Gia was going to try to make her look bad in front of Elijah. The image of her destroying Cami's violin in their childhood, made her nervous as she pulled back a strand of blonde hair. Gia stepped in front of them and said, looking mostly at Elijah. "Well, I see congratulations are in order for my sister and for the groom of course." The last part, she snapped bitterly and Elijah understood how very upset she still was about finding out about Cami's marriage to him. "Hello, Gia." Cami said to her, politely as Gia smirked and replied, "Hello to you too. Didn't bother to come see me?" "I didn't know you were in town. Uncle Kieran has just informed me and…I've been busy." "Ah, yes, with the wedding arrangements, yes, I can see that you look absolutely stunning in your gown." "Thank you." Cami responded, smiling a little, thinking that maybe Gia could show a little respect for her on her wedding night.

"But you should know that losing a couple of pounds wouldn't have hurt for a better figure either." Cami closed her eyes as she tried to block out the pain that hit her chest once again. She had always hoped that she would find a way to make Gia like her. Elijah had given her a disapproving look regarding her remark and Cami knew that deep down, she was grateful for that. She was grateful that even though there wasn't any romantic connection between them, he was willing to treat her right, unlike like other brothers with their wives. She even felt bad for her good friend, Hayley, who was stuck with the most notorious and twisted brother of them all. "Elijah…you look well in a suit." Gia commented almost the moment she picked up on his glare. "Yes, thank you." He responded. "So, who do you think should be the one to tell her how you broke my heart?" Gia asked, making Cami's eyes widen in shock at what she was hearing. "Gia!" Elijah snapped at her angrily but she simply shook her head. "How could you, Elijah? I still can't understand how you would agree to marry my sister after what we had between us."

Elijah turned and noticed the expression on Camille's face. He was afraid of this happening and he wasn't ready to face his bride with the truth about him and her sister. "Gia that is enough! You do not dare come at my wedding and make such declarations." "But I love you! I have always loved you, and I have never done anything to make you feel betrayed, unlike I see you have now!" Gia commented as Elijah's face was filled with rage. "Would you care to explain who Bob is?" "Bob is my roommate in New York." "He is more than a friend." "No, he is not!" At that moment, Elijah grabbed Gia's hand harshly and made her look at him in the eyes, "You do not dare lie to me like this!" Gia winced in pain as Cami took a couple of steps back, still confused and trying hard to block the words she had overheard out of her mind. Elijah and Gia looked back at her and Elijah could show the regret he felt in his heart for what Camille had finally discovered. "Camille, please, allow me to explain…" he began but she cut him off, by saying, "No. I must retire. Please, excuse me. Good night, sister…and husband." She said in a low whisper because picking up the pace, by holding up her gown and she left before others could comment.

…

Mikael scowled a little as he continued to sway with Esther on the dance floor. "I cannot believe that she would dare treat my son this way. She should be punished." Esther looked surprised and noticed the conflict that had occurred from the distance. Camille was walking away, in a rather quick pace, from her own sister and her husband. "Mikael, something must have happened." "I will not tolerate these women breaking anymore rules. I shall need to have a discussion with my sons about the situation and they will need to reevaluate their relationships." "They have just gotten married. Give them time to adjust to this new lifestyle and things will get better, afterwards, you will see. You know that it was difficult the moment we had gotten married too." Their eyes locked for a moment and Esther looked away, trying hard not to think about his obsession with Adrianna, before he was placed by his father in the position to marry her. Arranged marriages worked in the Mafia families, which is why they were continued in such ways. Mikael leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips, so gentle, Esther forgot all about the past and tried to focus on the present and future. She couldn't remember the last time Mikael had been this caring towards her. What was the occasion?

"Do not even try to think about our past. You are my future and you have been destined to be the love of my life, not Adrianna. What I feel for her now is nothing but anger and resentment. I wish her gone from my sight as well as her good for nothing husband." Mikael growled. Esther could easily remember her earlier conversation with her daughter and panic shoot through her. What would Rebekah think about this? What will she say now that her mother's suspicions have been confirmed? Mikael was not planning on just investigating the Geralds. He wants to take them down, as they pose a threat to the society he was currently trying to build. "I need to tell you something." She finally whispered, thinking about Sophie and Finn. "What is it?" "Sophie has learned the secret we have been trying to keep, about Giuseppe Salvatore and his family." Mikael's breathing hitched. "How does she know about that." "I was talking to Finn and she overheard us accidently. Please, do not go after her for an innocent mistake as this one. She was not eavesdropping…I can assure you that she promised not to tell a soul until we can figure out what we are going to do." "That money does not belong to Giuseppe!" "You can't know that, dear. You were drunk, just as he was that night." "Giuseppe has all the money in the world. I will not give up the 500.000 $ when my wife needs special treatment. I will find a way to get the money back. It belongs to us!"

"What is going to happen to the Geralds?" "If I find out that they have been working with Giuseppe behind my back, I will tear them limb from limb. I am sure that my sons are trained to go for the kill and that is exactly what we shall do." The melody ended and Esther and Mikael turned around, realizing that everyone had pretty much left. Esther looked at the clock and whispered, "Five minutes to midnight. I think that maybe we should finally close down and get to bed. It is late, Mikael and we can discuss this in the morning better." "Have you spoken to our sons about this consummation night?" "Yes, of course. They know what they need to do." "Good. I suppose after a night like this one, I cannot really expect for them to be bright and ready for the mission against the Geralds tomorrow, now can I?" "Mikael…" "The matter is finished, Esther. The Geralds have double-crossed me for the last time, and the other members of the board should do well to agree with me on this." Esther sighed and nodded, thinking twice before contradicting her husband. Her heart stopped as she realized something she hoped would never have to happen tonight. "Where is Rebekah?" Mikael frowned. "Hasn't she gone back inside?" "No. I was by the house the entire night and our sons are the only ones who entered the premises. I last saw Rebekah by the lake."

…

Hayley was standing outside of his bedroom door, waiting for the moment when she knew she had to enter his own chamber, with the red walls, the walls which resembled blood. It frightened her a little, but Hayley could remember how much warmth she felt when she had entered his room once. A bump to the wall gave her a fright and she turned to see, Sophie and Finn making their way to their chambers, both being stupidly drunk and Hayley groaned, understanding what was soon going to happen between them. She also understood how much sorrow and hate for herself. Sophie was going to feel in the morning when she shall wake up sober and realize that she had done it. She had consummated her marriage to a man she despises, but somehow, feels attracted to. Hayley bit her lip, realizing that it was finally midnight and what had to be done, had to be done. But her situation was far different from Sophie's. Sophie had experience. She…had nothing. She had never shared more than a kiss with a man, and that was exactly what Klaus was planning on never offering her, for some twisted logic of his. Her hands traced the white nightgown she had put on, after her bath and then one of her hands landed on the doorknob, sucking in her breath, as she entered his chamber.

The fire was burning wildly in the fireplace and Hayley could see him standing there, with his back towards her, as he helped himself to a glass of scotch. He was half-naked, with just his pants on, from the wedding, but nothing else to cover hos muscular physique which intrigued Hayley to the limit. She closed the door behind her and then gulped as she heard his husky whisper, "There you are my little wolf." Klaus gulped down what was left of his drink and placed it on the table that was close to his bed, as he stepped over to her and placed his hands on her shivering arms. "I cannot imagine how you could be so cold in a place as warm as my own headquarters." He said to her with a slight frown and Hayley bit her lip. "Perhaps I am just nervous." "Yes, that must probably be the problem. But rest assured, love that I shall make this night memorable for you. You shall warm up in no time." After seeing her scowl, he chuckled and leaned over, pressing a kiss on the side of her neck. She moaned in ecstasy at the impact she had not expected and the feelings that rushed through her hungry and unexperienced body…but immediately afterwards, she took a couple of steps back from him and covered her chest with her hands. Klaus looked at her, confused before growling and stepping over, grabbing her once again by the arms and hissing, "You will not deny me what is mine, Hayley."

She didn't know what to say as she stared into his cold and now angry eyes. Did he have the impression that she was rejecting him? Was that what she was doing? Sighing, Klaus leaned forward and once again moved his lips to her neck and started kissing her there. His hands moved expertly around her curves and then he roamed them over her breasts, which were partially exposed by the nightgown she was wearing. She thought that she could do this, that she could look past the fact that she was a virgin and suck it up, never needing to tell him that. But why was he under the impression that she wasn't a virgin? Hadn't he been able to understand the reason why she turned down Jackson that night, when he wanted to sleep with her? Or maybe he simply didn't care at all about her unexperienced body, as long as he got to decide what to do with it and when. As his lips moved down from her neck to her breasts, Hayley's feet started feeling like jelly and she nearly tripped over but he caught her in his arms, breaking his movements, which were bringing her so much pleasure, that she didn't even know how to respond. She had heard about how rough men could be in bed and how could a man like Klaus not be rough? She was afraid of how rough he would be with someone like her. She should have told him…no, no, she shouldn't have. He didn't need to know. These were her thoughts as he continued to stare at her, after the passionate moment, and the fire was still burning just as strongly as it had before.

"What is your problem tonight, love?" Klaus asked her and Hayley immediately shook her head. "Nothing. I am fine." "You are acting like an infant who has never experienced any sexual activities." "That is not true!" Hayley snapped at him, a little louder than usual. He looked at her in silence before stepping over and grabbing her body in his arms, as she yelped. He carried her to the king-sized bed and they tumbled on top of it, her breathing heavily and he was breathing angrily on top of her. "The problem could be that I am not your darling rapist, is that it? What was the lad's name? Jackson?" Hayley closed her eyes and shook her head. "Klaus, please, stop." "I will continue to torment you this way until you look at me in the eyes and tell me what your problem truly is." When she didn't say anything to him, he continued. "It is because this is not what you want. You despise me…you would never offer me pleasure or let me offer you pleasure as we are husband and wife." He growled in her face. There was silence as their eyes connected, without saying anything. The coldness released her body and she was now entangled in the warmth of his own body, as well as the fire burning. But mostly, Hayley could not believe that the simple connection of their eyes could make her go red in the cheeks. Their position shouldn't normally be awkward for a married couple, but for them, it was.

"I do not despise you." Was all Hayley could muster up to say as her eyes bore into his. His expression softened for that one moment as his hand got tangled up in her curls. He then leaned over and pressed a firm kiss on her jaw, and then moved to her neck, as she moaned, uncontrollably. She bit her lip and squirmed as her body shivered. She could do this. She could move past this without having to tell him. But it's not like he wouldn't notice, after seeing the blood on the sheets in the morning. Feeling her shaking up, Klaus groaned and pulled back, growling in her face. "You are not moving from this room until you tell me what's wrong! I demand an explanation!" he exclaimed and nearly yelled in her face. Klaus hated the things he couldn't explain and she was turning out to be quite a difficult challenge, with all the secrets he felt she kept from him, and he could not do anything about it. The threats did not seem to work at all. And there was something about her which stopped him from talking to his father or to his mother about her disobedience of the rules. "What can you demand from me?" "The truth. Tell me this very moment, love." He noticed her body temperature started shivering and she was beyond uncomfortable with him in this position. Her lip biting was making him nervous of what he was going to find out from her. A part of him already realized the truth, the other part just wouldn't accept it. "Klaus, I am not…I mean I…I have never…" She started shaking her head with her eyes closed.

"You're a virgin." Klaus whispered, matter-of-factly, and Hayley finally opened her eyes and looked up into his own, with guilt and shame written all over her face as she whispered, "Yes, I am." Staring at her face a little while longer, didn't help as Klaus pulled back and ran his hand through his curls, picking up his shirt. Hayley looked flustered as she got off the bed in her nightgown and went towards him, asking, "Are you repulsed by me?" She had no idea why she was asking him these questions. Why did she care what he thought about her? He furrowed his eyebrows and slowly shook his head. "Intrigued, perhaps but not repulsed, love. I simply cannot imagine a rebellious woman such as yourself being completely…innocent in one way." "I am not innocent!" The anger reappeared on her face. She hated that word for herself. "Purity certainly does not fit you, even though you are pure." Klaus said with a small smirk, caressing her skin. She looked unaffected by his touches as her hands crossed over her chest and stepped closer to him. "I am a virgin because that is what I have chosen for myself, before I was forced into this marriage, not because I was scared or weak. I am not!"

His hands left her body as he placed them behind his back and raised his chin, as she did the same to prove to him that he was not intimidating her and he smirked, stepping back from her with a sigh. Hayley looked shocked as she asked him, "Where are you going?" "Out for a walk." Klaus responded swiftly. Before he could place his hand on the doorknob, she got to him and turned him around with an angry look on her face. Klaus frowned as well as he said harshly, "Rule Nr. 1, little wolf! A Mikaelson wife if not allowed to touch her husband unless asked to or allowed, by said husband." "You seem to know them better than I do, so why don't you be the one to stick to them? I am not going to allow you to make a fool out of me, especially not now that I am your wife." Klaus shook his head. "Pardon me, love but I happen to be confused." "Your father wants you to officially make me your wife and you will do so, tonight." Hayley stated firmly, as she felt the red appear on her cheeks. Why was she demanding this from him? Shouldn't she be pleased that he had no intention of continuing what he had started the moment he found out of her virginity? Klaus stepped closer to her until their noses were barely touching. "That is what you wish? Why is that, little wolf?" "I am not weak and I don't want to be the pure angel people want to protect. So just take me right now. Make me yours."

Klaus, still looked unconvinced as he asked her, "I cannot help but wonder…why you haven't decided to make this move with your pretty boy, Jackson. I can understand now your desperation the moment he moved on you on the street that night." "I was not ready! And stop reminding me of that past. It belongs in the past and right now, I am married to you and it doesn't look like I will ever get out of this marriage. I want to do this now, because it is the right time and it doesn't look like I'll ever get the chance to find that someone special who would make love to me…" Her words trailed on as she noticed that he was now frowning at her comment. She gulped and averted her eyes from him, and said, "Bottom line, I am not going anywhere so I should give myself to my husband, which is you. Are you planning on making me your wife or not?" There was still anger on his face as he grabbed her hand and went back to the bed, laying her on it, and immediately taking off her nightgown, making her gasp in shock. He got on top of her and took off his pants, after which he kept her fingers intertwined with his. "If I make you my wife, you need to start acting like my wife, and a Mikaelson wife does not give her husband any orders. I hope I am being clear, little wolf."

Hayley simply smiled and shook her head as she placed her hands on his naked back. "You know you are going to make me your wife either way." He didn't smile back, as he leaned himself on her and his lips directed gentle to her neck, sucking in her delicious skin as she closed her eyes and tried to figure out the pleasure she was feeling from having a man touch her this way. Every woman had told her that through this intimate act with a man, you feel more of a woman when it finally happens, and they couldn't have been more right. Hayley moaned with ecstasy, as his lips started tracing her body carefully. They captured every single part of her skin, making her feel moist. Every single part, apart from her lips. Hayley frowned to herself as she remembered her greatest fear that no man would ever get to feel her lips again, or ever share a kiss with her. Her eyes got blurry all of a sudden but the tears disappeared the moment he pulled up her tight and finally entered her, making her world spin around her. Hayley couldn't deny that it hurt. It did, a lot at first. He penetrated her further as she bit her lips in bliss at the pleasure she was starting to feel after the coming and going of this pain. With his lips and his hands caressing each part of her body, she could see that he was smiling slightly and she was curious as to why. When he finally pulled his lips back from her navel and started tracing them next to her cheek, she pulled back abruptly, startling his motion as she whispered, "What is so funny?" She could still feel him inside of her, and for some reason, she didn't want him to pull out and leave her. No, she didn't want that.

"I am enjoying a little virgin in my bed, love." Klaus said with a twisted smile and saw her scowl at him at once, slapping his back and saying, "I am no longer a virgin." "It was no criticism, love. There is no need for such a reaction. It is no problem for me that you have no experience whatsoever, since I can now enjoy you without having any sort of…distractions." Hayley frowned, not understanding what he meant by that, but then realization hit her face. "You think that I can't respond." "Clearly, not now, and another bright note would be that I am the first and the last man to be feeling your body." He then grabbed her behind and pulled himself deeper into her, making her moan loudly, as she held onto his back for dear life. Rocking gently inside of her, Klaus' lips found her ear and he murmured, "You are mine now, little wolf. Always and forever."

 **A/N: Okay, I stretched this chapter a bit too much but I had to include all the things that I had planned. So, Klaus and Hayley consummated their marriage and clearly Sophie and Finn did too. What do you think will happen with Camlijah now that Cami knows about his past with Gia? What about Kolvina? Will Kol be able to let go of his immature and moronic behavior and be the husband Davina wishes by her side?**

 **Thank you for reading and pleas leave me reviews!**


	14. Betrayal In NOLA

**Previously, in Corrupted Souls, Klaus and Hayley shared a dance, talking about their responsibilities now as newly-weds. Camille and Elijah changed the path of their relationship as Gia presented herself at their wedding, claiming to be the past lover of the groom. Sophie and Finn hit it on, in a drunken state, as Mikael and Esther discussed the problems with the Salvatore family and noticed the disappearance of Rebekah. The night ended passionately on the stroke of midnight for the consummation of two couples.**

* * *

 **PLOT: The morning of the newly-weds lead to complications with the disappearance of Rebekah, as a new Board meeting is announced by Mikael, to discuss the Geralds. Feeling abandoned after a night of passion with her husband, Hayley finds comfort in the hands of her mother, as she tries to find answers regarding where her relationship with Klaus is going. Annabelle is to present herself as the new member of the Mafia Board of New Orleans. Elijah discusses the complications regarding Gia, with Camille, as Finn and Sophie get on each other's heads about what happened between them, as well as the secret she is forced to keep. Meanwhile, Kol lashes out at Davina, leading to drastic results, as the day ends with a confrontation between Klaus and Hayley at the hospital once again.**

* * *

Hayley was wrapped around in white sheets, as her nose smelled something fresh, and the sunlight dimmed on her bright face. They were in the middle of May and everything seemed crystal clear to her that she was a new woman, after what happened the other night. Just one more month until she would turn 23, and she would no longer feel ashamed whenever women talked about having sex with their men. As she felt the sheets tight around her, Hayley turned around and noticed that the other part of the bed was empty and she could hear the water running in the bathroom, indicating that Klaus was already up and he was taking a shower. Hayley bit her lip and looked around at the red walls, starting to wonder why he had decided to paint them red. The bed was very comfortable and she felt absolutely exhausted. There was a knock and Hayley immediately sat up, pulling the duvet close to her body, in shock that someone had decided to come in now, of all times. Hayley gasped as she saw the blood clear on the sheets. Trying to ignore it, she pulled her hair back as the door opened and a maid walked inside with a small smile on her face. She was the lead maid of the house, who was in charge of the other maids who cleaned the mansion. She was holding a small tray of food delicacies on it as she placed it in front of her. "Good morning, m'lady! I hope you slept well." She said.

"Yes, I did, thank you." Hayley responded as the maid made sure to place the small wooden holder on each side of Hayley's body, so it could hold the tray without making her feel uncomfortable. "What is this? I thought that this family is supposed to meet each morning and eat breakfast together." Hayley asked, clearly confused as the maid shared her smile. "Mr. Mikaelson has decided to make an exception for this morning as he and his wife are busy discussing something apparently very important in the conference room and his son has ordered your favorites here." Hayley looked at the tray and groaned, realizing that he was right about everything he ordered for her? How did he know what she liked? Had he been spying on her or just watching her too carefully at times? The maid frowned and asked, "You don't like this, m'lady?" "No, of course I do. I love it, thank you for bringing me this." "It was my pleasure." "What is your name?" "I beg your pardon, m'lady?" Hayley smiled sweetly and said, "I would like to know your name." "It's Laura." She responded with a smile. "I am looking forward to getting to know you, Laura. Call me Hayley." "M'lady, I cannot…" "Why not? It can be our secret. No one has to know." Laura backed away a little and whispered, "M'lady, I would advise you to eat your breakfast. I hope you have a pleasant day." With that, she turned around with a sad smile on her face and walked out of the room. At once the door to the bathroom opened and he stepped out.

She noticed how drenched he looked from the water, as he ran a comb through his messy curls and there was only a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at himself in the mirror and whispered, "You should know better than to talk to a servant like that. I have warned you last night too, Hayley. Do not make the same mistake again." Hayley stilled from eating the bit of pancake she was holding her hands. She placed it back down on the plate as she chewed what was left in her mouth. Meanwhile, she was observing his masculine figures, which the droplets of water were tracing. It was suddenly making her very nervous but the thought that she had experienced his pleasure the other night, was exciting her even more, and she felt attracted to him in more ways than one. A blush crept on her cheeks as the thought of him kissing her body and making love to her…No. Not making love. That was not what he was doing. He was just filling in his duty as a husband to her, what his father had requested from him. There wasn't anything going on between them. "Do you hear me, Hayley?" he suddenly snapped, louder than usual and Hayley looked up, realizing that she had been lost in her own thoughts and he was now angry. "Hear what?" she asked him and he sighed. "Do not talk like that to Laura."

"Why not? What did I say? And who gave you the right to eavesdrop on my conversations. It was none of your business." She snapped at him, angrily. Klaus was doing his best to keep the rage hidden carefully inside of him as he stepped over to her and sat down on the bed, as she continued putting bits of the pancake in her mouth, amusing him by her behavior. He rolled his eyes and whispered, "You are not listening." "You are trying to change me into something I am not." "And what exactly aren't you?" "A slave." "A slave?" he snapped as he looked at her. "Was that the way you felt when I made you my wife the other night?" "It was just sex, Klaus, and it was more for your pleasure, not mine." He could see the redness on her cheeks and realized that she was lying. "Must I remind you once again, little wolf? Rule Nr. 7. A Mikaelson wife is to speak the truth to her husband at all times." "I know the rules!" "And I believe that we had a deal going back to the day I started training you for my father's tests…" "Which I failed." "I don't believe you have, since you are here in my bed, as my wife." Hayley opened her mouth to speak but closed it again as she realized that it was no use. He would simply outsmart her with his talk. "I am asking you to start treating me like your husband." "And you treat me as your wife. Do not make me follow orders. I am not capable of following them and you know that."

"Authority issues?" he asked. "You can say that. I never let anyone tell me what to do." "Yet, you have been persuaded by your father to marry me. Clearly, he has some influence on you." "Of course he does. He is my father and he did this in order to keep me safe." Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? He believed that by marrying you to me, h would keep you safe?" He got closer to her face as he posed the question and Hayley batted her eyelashes, whispering, "Yes." "Well, then he couldn't have been more wrong." "And why is that?" "Because the moment you join this family, you need to be prepared for the enemies we will face. There will be enemies trying to murder us and steal our wealth. My father may be the most powerful man in Louisiana but he is also hunted by other powerful leaders from other states." "Who?" Hayley asked and Klaus smiled at her curiousness. "No one you should be concerned about, little wolf. Eat your breakfast." He then turned and took off his towel, revealing all of his lower body parts, as Hayley gasped and immediately looked away, making him chuckle. "Something you would like to share with me back there, love?" "Stop being a jerk and put something on." "It's nothing you have not seen last night." Klaus commented and got closer to her again, as he held in his hands a brown shirt he was planning on putting on. Hayley felt her insides warm up as he pressed his lips to her shoulder and then to her exposed neck. "I did enjoy you squirming and moaning my name all throughout the night."

Hayley looked away, ashamed as she looked down at the blood spot which stained the white sheets, reminding herself once again that her period as a teenage virgin has ended. She was now a woman, in all senses of the word and she was married. Her father was right. She needed to start learning how to act like a proper woman around this house, especially where Mikael was concerned. After putting on his brown shirt and some jeans, Klaus combed his hair and then got ready to leave the room when she said softer, "Wait. Where are you going?" Klaus looked at her with an eyebrow raised in surprise as he responded, "Out." "But I thought that…" Hayley couldn't finish her sentence because she couldn't find the courage to do it. She couldn't have him think that she was feeling vulnerable even after losing her virginity to him. She pressed her legs together as Klaus continued to stare back at her. "What?" he asked her, impatiently. "I just thought that maybe we should talk about…about last night." He was amused by her nervousness as he replied, "I believe we have already done quite some talking, love, and I am falling behind on my schedule. What is it that you wish to imply?" Why couldn't she tell him? It was as if it was stuck in her throat. "I simply didn't think that the man who lost me my virginity would just leave in the morning and…" "What did you expect us to do? Cuddle?" He threw the last word out bitterly.

A couple of tears welled up in her eyes as she looked away from him and said, "Nothing. Just forget I said anything." He stood there for a moment before shaking his head and stepping back to her. She played with her fingers as he took a seat on the bed, looking at her in the eyes. "I just cannot seem to make you happy now, can I?" Hayley couldn't help the giggle that escaped her mouth as she responded, "No one can truly satisfy me." He looked at her skeptically as he said in a husky tone, "That is not what your moans reflected last night. Besides, many women have claimed that I am good in bed." "I don't want to hear about other women." "What is wrong, love? Jealous, perhaps?" "You have to be kidding me!" she said with annoyance in her tone, but there was a smile playing on her face for some reason. Klaus smiled as well for that moment, covering her hand with his and whispering, "I must leave now." He stood up and turned to the door as he heard her faint voice, "Why?" "Because I must." He replied, without turning back to look at her again. Klaus opened the door and left his bedroom, as Hayley resumed her eating. She felt disappointed for some reason as she placed the last bit of pancake on her mouth and leaned her head back against the headboard of the bed with a sigh.

…

Sophie smelled something peculiar as the sun streamed in her room. She gasped as she sat up and remembered most of what happened the other night. Her wedding make-up was still on and her wedding dress was sprawled onto the floor. She covered her mouth with her hand as she heard snoring on the other side of the bed. Finn was lying there, naked from top to bottom and he was snoring. "UGH!" Sophie yelled out and got out of bed as quickly as she could and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door after herself. What the hell was she up to last night? Why had she made such a terrible choice as to sleep with this guy? Of course, he was now her husband and their consummation night had to arrive anyway but she hated the idea of completing it without any conscience because she was drunk. How could she remember the first time with her husband was when she was drunk? How could she keep this from her family? How could she keep this from her sister, who expected a lot from her in this marriage? Taking a deep breath, Sophie leaned over the sink and washed off her mascara and the rest of her make-up, which she clearly forgot to do last night. Feeling more confident, she opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

"Ah, you're up!" Finn was sitting up on the bed, with his hands crossed over his chest, his back against the headboard of the bed and there was that smirk on his face as Sophie rolled her eyes. "No. I just happen to be invisible and still sleeping beside you. This is not real." She replied in a sarcastic tone which made him frown. "Have I not been clear when I said that you need to be tamed?" "You have never said that to me. This is a first and for your information, I can't be tamed. This is who I am and I have a problem with you, and your stupid set of rules. You are going to speak to me as your equal from now on, otherwise…" She didn't finish her sentence as he was already sitting up and Sophie covered her eyes with her hands. "Do cover yourself for God's sake!" "Now, why would I want to do that? It's something you have enjoyed last night." He then stepped towards her and pulled her in for a passionate kiss, and she quickly broke it. "You are not to kiss me again." "I can kiss you whenever I want, as your husband." "This is what you want? You want me to be your wife slash slave? What's next? You're going to force me to have sex with you every night? Are you going to rape me?"

His eyes darkened as he replied, "Rape is not a specialty of mine, even though I have done it before. But I wouldn't go as far as forcing you to fulfil my sexual desires, Sophie, since you are my wife. It is written in that brochure from my mother that you cannot deny my rights to be with you…whichever way I want." Finn pointed out and Sophie scowled. "Fine. Do what you want, but you will never receive any care from me, or at the very least, my respect." Finn watched her with shock on his face as she was putting on her clothes and when she made a move to leave the bedroom, he blocked her. Sophie closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked deep into his own. "Get out of my way. I need to be downstairs for breakfast and so do you." "Not today. Father has made an exception, as he is busy with the Board. You will have breakfast whenever I will have it. It is a wife's duty to…" "I don't give a shit." Sophie snapped at once. He curled his hand around her throat in anger and Sophie tried not to show any reaction to that. He was hurting her, yes, but not enough to deprive her of oxygen. "Let go of me." Sophie whispered. He did as she asked which surprised her but at that moment, his hand went behind her neck and he kissed her fiercely once again. Sophie understood what he was trying to do. He was trying to show her that he was in control of the situation, not her.

The moment he pulled back, Finn pointed a finger at her. "If you think that I am going to allow you to encourage your relationship with that friend of yours, then you are wrong. You are my wife now, and you are not to think about him anymore!" Sophie was in deep shock at what he was saying. He was jealous? Of her relationship with Kaleb? She wanted to laugh but then she remembered the kiss they shared the stormy night when she told him that she was set to marry a Mikaelson brother. She didn't know if something would have happened between them after a kiss like that, but Kaleb was gone now, and he was not coming back. She needed to put him out of her mind and focus on what she had to fulfil for her family. "Kaleb shouldn't be a concern for you." Was the only thing that she could say. Then, she made a move to reach the door again but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, eying her warily. "I hope my mother was being clear when she told you that you are not to tell any of the other girls about what we talked about. Was she being clear?" "Yes." Sophie said, emotionless.

…

Mikael and Esther looked at one another as Kieran answered their phone call. _"What can I do for you today, Mikael?"_ "You can call the other members and inform them that we have an urgent meeting at this precise moment." _"Why? What has happened?"_ "My daughter is missing and I need to use my best sources in order to find her. Have the whole of New Orleans search for her and we will see each other at our place in an hour." _"Very well."_ With that, they ended the call and Mikael looked up to see Esther coughing. "Are you alright, my dear?" he asked her and she nodded, touching her chest for a moment. "Yes, I am fine. There is no need to worry." "There is need to worry where it concerns you. I cannot believe that Rebekah would leave her family this way. She will be punished when found." Esther looked into her husband's eyes and she could see the anger in them. At once, she couldn't take it anymore, keeping such important details from him so she whispered, "Mikael, our daughter is in love. That is why I think she ran away from us."

"What do you mean she is in love? With whom?" Mikael demanded, as he sat back down next to her at their study table. Esther looked at him and whispered, "It is a young man you would never approve of. She has been in love with him for a long time and…she told me a while back. She trusted me not to tell anyone about this. Marcel Gerald is the man she loves and said she will always love." Mikael stared at her for a moment before getting up, angrily and shouting, "What did you say?!" "Mikael, please. There is no time for this. For all we know, Rebekah could be in danger. We have to find her." "You mean to tell me that my own daughter has had her mind poisoned by the Geralds' son all this time and you kept this a secret from me? How dare you, Esther?" he raged and Esther closed her eyes as tears streamed down. When she finally opened them, she could see the anger in his eyes and before she could say anything, a slap landed across her cheek and she whimpered as she shook her head. "I know I should have told you but she is my daughter and I love her. She made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone, but now that she is missing, I felt I couldn't keep this from you any longer. Mikael, please…she confided in me, hoping that…" "AND YOU ENCOURAGED HER!" Mikael yelled as Esther shook her head. "No, I was against it. I told her before our sons' weddings that it is best to end her relationship with Marcel while she still can because she cannot have a future with him. I believe that is why she has run away."

"You…the love of my life. You betrayed me." "No." Esther said once again in a softer tone as she cupped his cheeks. "Mikael, I love you so much. Please, understand how hard this was for me. I couldn't let down both my daughter and my husband." "Yet you decided to choose her and let me down." "She is my daughter." Mikael's eyes showed nothing but hatred as he whispered menacingly, "When she returns…she will be punished severely and she will know to never cross me again." There was a knock on the door and Klaus stood there, with his hands behind his back. "Father…" Mikael pointed a finger at him. "Did you know about this, Niklaus?" Klaus looked confused. "Rebekah has disappeared. She has not come home last night." Esther added and Klaus' eyes widened, never having noticed her absence, on account to the time he shared with Hayley. "How could this happen?" he asked in a whisper as Mikael responded. "She has been seeing Marcel Gerard behind my back? Did you know anything about this, Niklaus? I am asking because I know that she tells you everything!" There was anger in his tone and Klaus could feel his heart starting to beat faster, at the thought of lying to his father or him finding out that he had kept this secret for Rebekah, just as his mother had. "No, Mikael. I told you that I was the only one who knew about this." Esther said at once and gave her son a meaningful look.

Mikael sighed and rubbed his temple, whispering, "You're right. Forgive me, my son. I am simply upset with your sister. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything." Klaus nodded and replied, "There is nothing to feel sorry for, Father. I have simply come here to ask you if you are indeed intending to have another Board meeting." "Yes, I shall be at the secret place in an hour. Would you like to come with me?" Mikael asked him and Klaus' eyes widened. "Father, I am not on the Board…" "Not yet, but you soon will be and I can make a few exceptions, seeing as I trust you. I need you to be at this meeting and hear what I have to say." "What is the topic this time? The 500.000 $?" Mikael shook his head and whispered, "Giuseppe Salvatore and the Geralds." Klaus nodded and said, "Our family's greatest enemies." "Precisely. I am more than convinced that they have been working together for quite some time, and I believe it is they who have been playing us and have stolen our money. The sooner we take them down, the sooner we can finally recover our money for your mother's surgery. Time is ticking, Niklaus so there is no time to lose." The door creaked open and the three of them looked up in surprise to see Hayley standing there, all dressed up.

Klaus observed her glowing hair, her hazel eyes, her soft pink lips, covered with a touch of gloss, her beautiful rosy cheeks and her olive skin. She was breathtaking, and was making his hormones move to the top level as he pictured taking her once again, like he had the other night. It was probably the most exquisite night he had ever had with a woman. "Hayley! What do you want?" Mikael barked at her, clearly upset at her entrance and she immediately said, "I am sorry to bother you. I understand I probably interrupted a very important meeting but I wanted to ask if I could…go and visit my mother." Before Klaus could say anything, Mikael stated, "Your mother is a part of the Board now. Even if you leave to see her, she might not be available as we have a meeting in an hour." "I will be quick. I promise. I just need to see her, please." She was not looking at Mikael. She was looking at her husband with a pleading look on her face. "Go, love." Klaus whispered with a serious look on his face. There were flutters in his stomach as she offered him a huge smile, leaving the room. As he turned around to face his parents, Klaus could see that Esther was smiling but Mikael was not. "What was that, my son?" "I hope you do not mind, Father, but I wish to find a balance in my marriage in between making my wife happy and keeping her in reins. Mikael raised an eyebrow and then replied, "I hope you will do well to educate her, if she wants to be a part of this family." "Yes, Father. She will be educated." Klaus responded.

…

They had passed it…their consummation night. Of course, they had. After what had happened the other night, with Gia, with everything…and now Rebekah missing, Elijah couldn't concentrate on what was right and what was wrong in the world. Elijah entered her bedroom that morning, after breakfast and noticed that she was at her desk, writing something. She knew that he had entered her room but she couldn't find it in her heart to look up. She couldn't believe that she had done this. She couldn't believe that she had blindly married the man who used to hook up with the sister who has been treating her like hell ever since she became an O'Connell. She had to share with Gia almost all her life and whenever Gia wanted something, she received it that was well-known by Cami. How could she even begin to fight for her marriage, when her husband clearly wanted her sister and she wanted him back? She crumbled up the paper and threw it in the trash bin, standing up and pulling her hair back into a ponytail, as Elijah came at her side with a guilty conscience. "Camille, please listen to me. I never expected you to find out…no, that came out wrong…I never…" He couldn't find his words and especially not when he saw the tears in her eyes when she finally found the courage to look up into his own. "No, Camille. Do not shut me out this way and let me explain." She pulled away from him and wiped away her tears. "I am waiting for an explanation." "Believe me, I tried…" "Of all the moments we have spent together, you couldn't find that one moment to tell me that you were involved with my own sister?"

"I couldn't bear to do so…" "Why? Why couldn't you tell me the truth? Why have you let me suffer so much? How could you be so cruel to me? How?!" She started hitting his chest with her fists, but she later give up as she realized that he was too fit for her to produce any damage to her body. But she was not doing this to hurt him. She was doing this in order to avenge her soul. She felt betrayed and heartbroken the way she had never felt before. Camille was under the impression that he had finally started caring about her to some extent, and now…Gia was in the picture again whenever she tried to be happy. Camille was tired of being everyone's second choice and she was tired of being okay with it and trying to get her sister to like her, and to please her uncle. Before she could throw in another punch, Elijah grabbed her hand and held onto it tightly as he looked down at her with pity in his eyes. "Please, listen to me." "GIVE ME A REASON!" Cami lashed out and pulled herself free from his grasp. She turned away from him and faced the window. She was sobbing uncontrollably. He went behind her back and touched her shoulders, comfortingly.

"Normally, you shouldn't be allowed to throw tantrums like these in front of your husband." Elijah whispered and Camille immediately turned around as if he had slapped her. "You and your family sicken me with these rules! No one is following them and we do not receive any consequence for it." "That is because Mother and Father do not know that you are not following such rules. I am allowing you some liberty in this household." "Now I understand why you were so nice to me at the beginning, compared to how your brothers treated my friends, Hayley, Davina and Sophie. You were feeling guilty. Every single moment you looked at me, I could see it clear as day that you were hiding something from me. I have a master in psychology, Elijah and I thought you should know by now that I am good at reading people." He looked at her, trying to keep his temper at bay as he finally mustered up the courage to tell her, "I saw how much you were hurting…" "I opened up myself in front of you." She snapped. "Yes…that was the day I was planning on letting you know about the past connection between me and Gia, but the way you showed me your pain, having to live up to your uncle's expectations, while he valued your sister more…I couldn't disappoint you…because I have started realizing how alike we truly are, Camille. We are bonded souls, because I have to live with the same heartache each day, knowing that no matter what I do, my father values one of my brothers over me."

She looked at him, intrigued at what he was saying and confused at him at the same time. Seeing this, Elijah continued. "I wanted to tell you, but I simply couldn't find it in my heart to hurt you, because I see myself in you." She shook her head and whispered, "And now that I found out through my own sister, it hurts even more, and I am not sure I can ever forgive you for it." "I am going to offer you time, to think about this…" "I am your wife through a marriage contract but I will never let you touch me." Cami whispered right after that, blocking Elijah. He sighed, realizing that if he were in her shoes, he would never sleep with a woman who was with his brother. "I understand." He said with a heavy heart. After another moment of silence, Elijah stated, "My sister, Rebekah, has apparently gone missing, so I need to help my family. I wish you well today, and hope that you will find it in your heart to let me mend things between us." "I don't care if you still want to be with her. I just don't want you acting towards me as if I am truly your wife. I will not be cheated on, with my own sister involved."

Elijah looked at her in shock and stated, "I would never cheat on you. You are my wife!" "It doesn't seem like it." Cami continued to respond bitterly, not meeting his eyes. "Gia had truly brought you pain in your childhood, hadn't she?" When she didn't answer him, Elijah looked down to the ground with his hands in his pockets as he picked up her notebook which was lying crumpled on the floor. He noticed that she had erased all of the corrections or remarks he had made to her poems. "You don't dare come near my poems again. This is my passion and I don't accept being criticized by someone like you." "Camille, my only intention was to help you." "I don't need your help. Not anymore. As a Mikaelson wife, I can understand that I need to stand by your side, but I will do so as much as I can, for the sake of my family's honor. But you will not interfere in my personal work. That is my own and I share it with no one but myself from now on. I ask that you respect at least that." Elijah looked at her one more time as he headed for the door, and then he took a big breath and left the room, hoping to no longer have to see her brokenhearted look.

…

Her home…the home she had missed so much. The door opened and Hayley jumped into the arms of the maid who was standing there. "M'lady, what are you doing here?" she asked but there was a small smile on her face at seeing the young spirited girl she had gotten used to seeing around the mansion. "I am here to see my mother." The maid's smile disappeared as she asked in a small whisper, "Were you given…?" "Yes. I was given permission, even though I shouldn't be given any of it just because I want to visit my parents." Footsteps could be heard and Hayley smiled hugely as she saw her mother standing there, in a very elegant outfit, trying to put on her jewels. "Hayley, my dear, what are you doing here?" "I just wanted to come and see you." "But you have seen me yesterday at your wedding and you shouldn't be here. You must be at home with your husband." "He is going with Mikael at that meeting, and I guess you're getting ready for it too." Hayley stated with a disappointed look on her face. Annabelle sighed and whispered, looking at the clock. "Your father is already there, but I guess I can spare a couple of minutes for you. Come, sit on the couch and tell me what you want." Hayley's smile reappeared as she took a seat next to her mother in the living room.

Annabelle noticed the small smile on her daughter's face, which she was trying to hide. "Something you would like to share with me, Hayley? That is why you're here, right?" "I just feel…so different." Hayley responded, starting to play with her hair a little. It dawned upon Annabelle's face that her daughter had consummated her marriage the other night. She sat closer to her and took her hand in hers. "How do you feel, my darling?" "Like I've never felt before, Mother. I really do feel different. Is that the way you felt when you and Daddy consummated your marriage?" "Well your father and I have always been in love with each other, Hayley. So for us, it didn't feel like anything it hadn't felt before. The only problem was that we wanted to start a family early. We wanted to have a baby and then when the doctor told me I couldn't have any…" Her voice trailed off but the smile remained. "I am just happy that I found you and you became my daughter. I do love you, sweetie, very much." She kissed her hair and Hayley nodded, "I know you do, Mom. You really don't have to go all the way to show me that." "Now…tell me more about you and Klaus. How has your relationship progressed?" Annabelle asked, curiously. "Well…it hadn't progressed much but at least we don't hate each other anymore. At least, I don't think so. He found out that I was a virgin and wanted to step back from consummating his marriage with me, but I demanded that he does it…so…we did it." Hayley replied with blush in her cheeks.

"I see. And he just agreed to it because you asked him to?" "He told me he wanted to, but he thought that he was pushing me too far and too soon. He thought that I was not ready for that." "That is very considerate of him. Mikael has taught him well." "Mikael has taught him a lot of horrible things he shouldn't even be thinking. I heard that Rebekah has gone missing and that is why this council meeting is happening in the first place." "Yes. It is horrible and I feel sorry for the poor girl, for whatever reason she might have decided to run away from home." "She did it because of Mikael's demanding ways." "You can't know that, Hayley. For all we know, she could have been kidnapped." At that moment, Annabelle stood up and whispered; "Now I really must go. I am sure I can fetch up an excuse, like the time of the month." She winked at Hayley, who rolled her eyes. "Mom, I want some advice on where to move on from here." "Advice?" "Yes. I am confused on where this relationship might be heading because I am already starting to feel different around him ever since last night." "It is only natural, Hayley. The two of you have engaged into sexual activity." The blush continued to darken as Hayley mumbled, "You didn't have to put it like that, you know."

Her mother laughed as she stepped over and kissed her forehead. "Do you feel your stomach fluttering around him?" "Yes." "That is a good sign." "Why? What does it mean?" "It means that for whatever reason, he has gotten under your skin and you can't push him out." "Is it because of what happened between us last night?" Annabelle frowned and shook her head. "No. Sex is simply sex. It doesn't not start anything when it comes to feelings for a person, Hayley. It is only used to express those feelings." "And what exactly am I feeling?" "Maybe you feel that there is a chance for the two of you to become closer in the future." "Mom, he is not a relationship kind of guy. He has never even…" She wanted to tell her mother that Klaus had never shared a kiss with a woman before, but she bit her lip and decided not to say anything. "That may change. You never know until you give him a real chance." "I don't even know what to do…" "Try to get close to him." "He pushes me away." "Then just find a way to reach out to him again. Don't give up and you will soon see a change. Trust me. I know you, Hayley. If someone acts like a jerk to you, you act the same way back."

Hayley scoffed as she remembered the many times she had talked back to Klaus and disobeyed him and his wishes. "Well, of course I do. How can you just stand there and do nothing?" "I am not saying that you shouldn't do anything, my darling. I am simply telling you that maybe you are not using the best approach possible. You are a very tough young woman and you are short-tempered, just like he is, I can imagine. You need to balance each other out a little bit. If he talks to you in some way you hate, don't do the same thing back to him." "It is the only way he will learn to respect me as his wife." Annabelle shook her head with a sigh and looked at her watch. "Now I really have to go. Just keep in mind what I told you. Find a better approach and you will see how quickly things will change between the two of you. Offer him comfort rather than lashing out at him. He might need it, more than you know." Hayley could suddenly remember the pain in his eyes when he saw her in his Art Studio. Why was he hiding from her this way? She nodded and Annabelle kissed her on the forehead as she headed out the door to arrive at the meeting. Almost at that moment, Hayley's cellphone rang and she looked at the caller ID, frowning to see that it was Camille. "Cami?" she answered the call.

…

Pushing open the hospital doors, Hayley stepped inside and in a hurry, as she looked around to see doctors and patients everywhere. The last time she came here was when Esther had that stroke before the examination of Mikael, and now she was here for a whole different reason. Hayley couldn't believe the things Cami had told her on the phone. Kol had wanted to consummate his marriage with Davina this morning and when she refused, he hit her so hard that a large portion of her head started bleeding. She sighed as she entered the waiting room and saw Esther, Elijah, Finn, Sophie and Cami there. Kol was sitting in the back and fury washed over Hayley's face. This was the second time he was hurting that girl. "You are a son of a bitch!" Hayley snapped and lunged at him but Elijah immediately interfered and pulled Hayley back. "You need to calm down." He told her. "No, I will not! How dare he lay a hand on her just because she refused to be sexually involved with him? What did he expect, that she would do it after he was caught cheating on her even before their marriage?" Hayley exclaimed with shock written all over her face, as Kol stood up and said, "I didn't mean to hurt her! She provoked me…" "EVERYTHING PROVOKES YOU!" Hayley screamed and at that moment, everyone turned to watch the scene and Esther immediately went over to her and hissed, "You need to shut your mouth right this moment."

"Of course you would defend your son." Hayley said bitterly. At that moment, the door to the waiting room opened and everyone was expecting to see a doctor but it was Klaus who was standing there with the phone in his hand. "Mother, thank you for calling me. I got here the fastest I could." His eyes darkened as he saw Kol standing there, with regret on his face. "What has this scum done?" he asked Esther, who simply shook her head and went over to hug him. "Where is your father?" "He had to finish the meeting, but Davina's parents, Nina and David are coming over as we speak." "What happened? What has been decided?" Klaus simply shook his head and whispered, "We will talk about this later. How is that girl?" "She is fine. Recovering the best she can but she is going to have a permanent scar on her head." Klaus nodded and his attention turned over to Hayley, who was standing there with fury on her face. "Come with me, love." He murmured and pushed open the door, leaving the waiting room. Hayley looked surprised at what he was asking her. Everyone was staring at her as she left the room and joined him. She saw him speaking to a doctor and when the doctor departed, she was by his side.

"What?" There was no softness in her voice at that moment, not after the cruelty placed on a poor and innocent girl like Davina Claire. "I know what you may be thinking, Hayley." "What am I thinking?" "That this is the family way, a husband to beat up his wife whenever he feels like it, but I can assure you that is not me. Kol must be taught a lesson." "You are your father's favorite son, so I suppose that there is really nothing good that you can learn from him other than being ambitious in life. I am sure that he beat your mother several times." "No!" Klaus snapped and pulled her chin up so she would look at him. "My father loves my mother and would do anything for her." "Like finding the 500.000 $ so he can cure her disease?" "Hayley…" "Just tell me the truth. Please. I told you the truth about why I was so afraid of holding a gun. I told you something personal of mine, and now I want something in return." His eyes softened as he looked at her and Hayley stepped closer until they were face to face. She could see the fear in his eyes at her approach and Hayley could understand why. He was afraid of this closeness, not just a kiss from a woman in general. He hated being sentimental with someone. He felt the need to be tough and strong like his father. But even his father didn't hesitate to show his emotions towards his wife so what was his problem? "You have to trust me." Hayley whispered softly, her eyes filling up with tears.

He shook his head in confusion and asked just as softly, "Why are you crying, little wolf?" "Because you don't let me in, and I want to be let in. I am your wife, the woman you will spend the rest of your life with. Even if this marriage was unexpected, we are life partners now and we should be able to tell each other things we wouldn't normally tell anyone else. I have told you. Now, I want you to tell me." He continued to watcher eyes. Hayley understood that she was following her mother's advice and was trying a better approach. Instead of fighting him, she let her guard down in front of him, let him see her sensitive side, in hope that he will follow her and let his guard down too. He cupped her cheek at that moment, scaring her a little as he moved closer and she felt his eyes piercing into hers as he whispered, "I do trust you…more than you know." Her eyes never left his as she whispered, "Then tell me. I have graduated Harvard Medical School. I can help…please, tell me." "My mother has lung cancer." Klaus finally whispered making Hayley gasp in shock. "We need to find a donor so she can have a lung transplant as quickly as possible but we need the money we lost to pay for it. That is why my father is trying to hard…" He closed his eyes for a moment and gulped, and added, "What I told you, you must not tell anyone. You told me that I can trust you and I hope that you will keep this secret. My father has not told anyone aside from me and my siblings. You will not tell your family, Hayley."

She looked into his eyes for a moment before smiling and saying, "Rule Nr. 5. A Mikaelson wife will show the proper respect for her husband's family. So, I am going to show your family respect and not tell a soul about this." Hayley could see a smile threatening to escape is lips as well but he wouldn't let things go that far. At that moment, he pulled away from her as well as his hand from her cheek. She didn't know why she felt somehow disappointed by this. But she felt relieved, knowing that she had finally reached out to him and managed to get him to talk to her. She crossed her hands over her chest and whispered, "What has the Board decided?" She thought about moving on to lighter subjects, as she could see that he was not ready to answer any more questions regarding his mother. Klaus shrugged and responded, "Rebekah is still missing, as is the Geralds' son, Marcel. My guess is they decided to play Romeo and Juliette and run away together to live on their forbidden love story. My father found the Geralds guilty of treachery, even before they had been searched." "What does that mean?" "It means my father has found this family guilty…and they will be eliminated."

 **A/N: Wow, this chapter turned out to be much longer than I expected. So, Kol really broke the straw that held up the camel's back, but this little incident with Davina, has actually shown him how cruel he can be, and for the Kolvina fans, rest assured that things will get better starting next chapter. Klaus confided in Hayley, and this is a very good start for them, and they will just keep on getting closer and closer. A tragedy will arrive in the next chapter which will change the life of the Mikaelson family forever, so you have been warned.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	15. Rainfall Over Sunshine

**Previously, in Corrupted Souls, Klaus and Hayley shared their glow after the night spent together, as Hayley starts wishing more from their relationship. Mikael and Esther battled with their feelings on Rebekah's disappearance as another Board meeting was to be held to discuss the new problems and the suspects of helping steal the 500.000 $, the Gerald family. Elijah tried to sort things out with Camille regarding Gia, with no luck as Hayley visited her mother to talk about her marriage. At last, after another act of violence in the Kolvina pair, Klaus revealed something shocking to Hayley.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Mikael arrives at the hospital with the rest of the families, as the plan is set to attack the Geralds that night. As Kol tries to receive Davina's forgiveness, he has to deal with the anger and resentment coming not only from her but from her parents as well. During a sisterhood moment at the hospital, Sophie informs the other girls about the secret she found out about the Mikaelsons, leading to wonderings of whether or not these marriages were worth it. Gia arrives at the hospital with Kieran, only to provoke more mayhem, and meanwhile, Rebekah and Marcel dwell on the danger they have gotten their families into. The night ends bloody, as the final fight between the Mikaelsons and the Geralds takes place.**

* * *

 _"What does that mean?" "It means my father has found this family guilty…and they will be eliminated."_ Hayley thought hard about Klaus' words regarding the Gerald family, as she took a seat with her eyes to the ground, contemplating on what she should say to Esther the next moment they would come face to face. She sighed as she realized that maybe she had been too hard on her mother-in-law. She was facing death, and perhaps this was the reason she was so cold to her and to the rest of the girls. Klaus was pacing in front of her, when the doors opened and Klaus looked up tall and firm as he noticed his father walking fast and angrily towards him. Behind him were the rest of the members of the Board. "What is going on, son?" Mikael asked him and Klaus took a deep breath before saying, "She has almost fifty stiches to her head, and it will leave a scar, but thankfully, she will be alright." "The doctors have confirmed that?" "Yes, so I suppose there is nothing to worry about." "Niklaus, for heaven's sake, there is a lot to worry about. This has come at a bad timing!" Klaus furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?" "Tonight is the night we plan the attack. The Geralds are going down, and I cannot have any distractions when I need all of my sons in action."

"Father, I can assure you that this little incident is not a distraction." "It sure as hell is." Mikael hissed and turned around grumpily. Hayley tapped her heels to the floor and rolled her tongue in her mouth angrily until she couldn't take it anymore and she exploded. She stood up from the chair and faced Mikael, "How are you in position to call Davina a distraction when she is the victim of the situation the second time because of your oaf of a son!" Mikael's eyes widened and so did Esther's, as Klaus went up behind her and pulled at her hands roughly, bringing her to him from behind. "Hayley, that is enough!" he commanded and looked at her through icy cold eyes, as he usually did, with somewhat exceptions, like he had a couple of minutes ago, when he revealed Esther's problem. Mikael recovered from his state of shock, and he growled, "Keep your wife in check, Niklaus. I am not going to ask that if you again. I hope my message is clear." "It is clear, Father. You have nothing to worry about." When Mikael and Esther turned to talk, Klaus pulled Hayley further from them, grabbing onto her arm harshly. She rolled her eyes once she saw his anger. Why would he be angry with something right she said? "Klaus, come on. You can't be serious…" "I am deadly serious, little wolf and I am afraid that I have to warm you…" "Warn me? What exactly did I do?" "For starters, you just violated two of the most important rules in front of my father. Rule Nr. 3, a Mikaelson wife will be respectable in public and show pride for the husband she represents. And of course there is Rule Nr. 5, a Mikaelson wife will show the proper respect for her husband's family."

Even though there was a glint of anger in his eyes, Hayley couldn't help but smile lightly as he got more annoyed by her behavior. "What is it that you find amusing, little wolf?" There came the nickname she hated to admit, that she had missed. She shrugged, as he still held onto her arm and she whispered closer to his face. "I just remembered that I violated another very important rule." "And which one is that?" Klaus asked, keeping a straight face and trying to ignore the warmth generated by her face being so close to his. Hayley smirked and moved even closer as Klaus gulped and she felt him slowly releasing her arm as she whispered, "Oh, just Rule Nr. 10. A Mikaelson wife is to wax certain sensitive parts of her body once a week." At that moment, it was he who felt the redness on his cheeks and decided to look away, in shock of what effect she had on him. "You better take care of that little problem the moment we get back home." Hayley's eyebrows shot up. "Why? Is there something you want to tell me? Is there something you look forward to doing tonight?" She didn't know why she could help herself, but she enjoyed teasing him so much.

Hayley could see clearly that he had never been teased this way before. His face reddened even more but after a couple of seconds of looking at her, his face went back to normal as he grunted and tried to clench his fists in anger but couldn't. He gritted his teeth before looking back into her sensitive hazel colored eyes and whispered, "Don't tempt me, little wolf." She put on a pouty face and asked, "Why don't you want to be tempted? I understand men have all sorts of sexual desires, and I am your wife…" "Hayley, I know what you are doing, and it is not going to work. You are not getting off the hook by trying to seduce me. It is not working." She simply smiled and ran her hand over his chest slowly before stating, "Then why do I feel like your body responding?" He smirked and answered, "Perhaps it is simply your imagination gone wild, Hayley. You have lost your virginity less than 24 hours ago. What is it that you can possibly know about seduction?" "Just because I was a virgin, that does not mean that I didn't know things, and believe me, I did, and I still do." She finally found that this teasing was working and there was a slight smile playing on his face as he looked at her. She bit her lip for more effect and when he touched the hand which was resting on his chest, she thought that maybe he was going to make a move and let her in. She thought that he would agree to treat her as his wife…

"Niklaus!" Mikael exclaimed from the distance and Klaus pulled back his hand as Hayley retrieved hers. "Yes, Father!" Klaus called back as he moved back to his parents. "I need you to go home." "Why would I need to go home?" "Because you must be rested for tonight. I have already explained to you. Tonight, we attack." Klaus nodded slowly and then looked towards Elijah, Finn and Kol who were each doing their own thing, and asked, "What about my brothers?" Mikael sighed and added, "I need you most rested. The rest of them can do what they want for now, but you, I need you in the defense, and don't hesitate to drop by the training room and shoot a couple of dummies. Perfect your aim." Klaus nodded and then looked towards Hayley who was standing there on her own. "I am going to need to take Hayley with me." Mikael frowned at that comment and asked, "Why?" "She could help me in the training room." "No, I doubt she can. She had barely passed her test and if Jack and I weren't such good friends…I would have never made sure that she gets married to you." Klaus frowned and asked softly, "You hadn't paired her up with me because of our similarities and the force we can bring to one another in this relationship?" "She is beautiful and she has wit, Niklaus, I can tell you that, but I have always known that she is a defiant girl, and from what Jack told me from the beginning, she barely had any experience with Mafia jobs. She cannot assist you." "But Rule Nr. 6 of the brochure Mother made states that a Mikaelson wife is to participate in the occasional jobs given to her husband, and offer him the support needed." Esther nodded and pointed out, "It is good that you know the rules better than those girls do, Niklaus, but this is not a case where rules like that have to be followed." "Your mother is right. Hayley is a distraction for tonight, so I do not wish to see you with her. She is to remain here. Understood?"

Klaus nodded, with disappointment filling up inside of him. He tried to explain it to himself but he barely could. The truth was that her presence was starting to soothe him, and with her around him, Klaus could feel himself getting stronger. Their eyes met across the room and Hayley smiled at him, expecting him to return it, but he did not. He tried to move past her but she pulled at his arm and brought her back to him, asking in a whisper, "Where are you going?" "To rest and to train for tonight. The sooner we take down the Geralds, the sooner my sister can be found." Hayley nodded after a moment and grabbed her coat. Klaus looked at her in surprise. "What are you doing?" She looked dumbfounded. "What does it look like? I am coming with you." Klaus shook his head and responded, "No you are not. By my father's orders, you have to remain here." "In this hospital? What for? I can help you train…" Klaus grabbed her hands tightly and growled, "I said no!" She stopped talking and watched with disappointment as he walked away, and out of the hospital.

…

Jack and Annabelle looked around and smiled when they finally caught a glimpse of her, their own daughter. "Hayley!" Her mother exclaimed and pulled her in for a tight hug, which Hayley reciprocated. She tried to forget about what happened between her and Klaus earlier and just try to focus on her parents. When the mother and the daughter finally pulled back from their hug, Hayley asked, excitedly, "Mother, how was your first meeting?" "Boring, but Mikael has made it pretty clear that from this day onwards, the Geralds are our enemies." "But why?" "Apparently, Rebekah Mikaelson has been having a secret affair with Marcel, the Geralds' son." Hayley's jaw dropped. "What? How can that be possible? She lied to her father?" She was actually impressed by Rebekah's toughness, seeing as how Hayley believed she had always been the type of Daddy's girl. "Yes, she did and Mikael is not going to let her off the hook after what she has done. I don't understand the problem, if the girl wants to love a man…" "Mom, we live in a strange world, in a world so dangerous where forbidden romances just can't exist. We are not playing Romeo and Juliette here and Rebekah must have known that there would be no happy ending for her, so she decided to run away with the love of her life."

"Either way, she has made a huge mistake and she will pay for it when she returns." Jacks added. "She did it for love, Father and I don't think that she should be punished for that." "This is Mikael we are talking about, Hayley." Jack told her in a whisper so the Mafia President wouldn't hear. Before Hayley could add anything more, there were screams which could be heard from inside one of the rooms, and everyone jumped up when they heard Davina's piercing scream. Sophie was trying to get to the door but the doctors wouldn't let her. "Let go of me! I am her best friend and I want to see if she is alright!" she snapped. The doctors simply shook their heads and responded, "I am very sorry, but you cannot go in there right now. Her head is being stiches and although it is painful, she will get better in a couple of hours. When it is all over, you may go and see her." Hayley covered her face with her hands as she couldn't help but feel pain herself for what Davina was going through. At that moment, the screaming stopped and another doctor came out saying, "She will be fine after a couple hours rest. The family may go and see her." Sophie pulled out from Finn's grasp and went inside the room, followed by David and Nina Claire. "Do you think we should go in too?" Camille asked Hayley and she shook her head. "I don't think we need to pressure her. The doctor said family only." "Sophie is not her family." "Sophie is her best friend. It kind of counts." Camille pointed to the door and said, "Look what other member of the family is eager to see her."

Kol was moving faster than usual and he barged into the room, ignoring his father's protests. David and Nina were standing there, with huge frowns on their faces, as Sophie hissed, "Get out." To him. Kol noticed that she was holding Davina's hand and the beautiful girl's eyes were closed, as her raven colored hair was hiding all of her scars. Everyone else gathered at the door to watch this scene as Kol stepped over to the bed. David put up his hand on his chest and growled, "You don't get to come any closer to my daughter. You have done enough damage to her, and I regret the day I agreed to give her to someone like you." Kol didn't say anything, as he normally would have a reply for these kinds of arguments but this time, nothing came onto his mind. "She is my wife. Please let me see her." His voice came out like a cracked whisper, as David and Nina looked at one another. They were unsure of what to do. Finally, David pulled himself back as Kol took a seat on one side of the bed and pulled Davina's little fragile hand to his lips, as he watched her sleep. Sophie noticed this gesture and scoffed, believing that he was only doing this so the world wouldn't think badly of him. What if the press was here?

Hayley gasped as she saw Davina's little eyes open and they immediately looked over at Kol, who was holding her hand and looking at her with pain in his eyes. "I…I…forgive me." Was the only thing he could say. Davina's eyes hardened and she did her best to pull her hand away from his grasp. "Go away." She whispered and David immediately went over to Kol and pulled him to his feet. "It is time for you to go now, boy." "She needs me, but she doesn't know it because she is angry. She needs her husband to take care of her." Sophie growled at him and said, "She is living proof of how well you have been taking care of her as a husband. You are an abusive prick and you shouldn't even be allowed in this hospital." Before Kol could respond, he was being dragged out of the room and they went straight to Esther and Mikael. "I am sorry, Mikael but I want to take my daughter home with me." Mikael shook his head. "This will never happen again, David. For our alliance's sake, the children must be kept together." "Davina is not a child anymore, and she can decide what she wants to do." "Very well then. We will give her a choice once she is released from here. If she wants to go back to her home, then she shall. Kol will be punished." "How?" "He will be beaten, taking his own medicine." There was a smirk playing on Mikael's face as Esther gasped and whispered, "No, don't."

David nodded asking, "We will see each other tonight?" Mikael shook his head and replied, "This is a job to be completed by me and my sons. I don't believe the rest of the Board should get involved." "But that is the reason why we created this alliance in the first place." "Believe me, David. We have a far worse danger coming to New Orleans. The Geralds are the easiest catch possible. And if the police starts investigating, we can easily set up the story that they killed themselves. If the rest of you do not want to become suspects, I suggest that you don't get involved. It might leave a bigger mess for us. You keep faith that me, Niklaus and the rest will handle it tonight. Richard and Adrianna Gerald will meet their end. David finally accepted and left. Esther pulled Mikael towards him and looked at his face. "Please, tell me that…" "It has to be done, Esther. They have been working with Giuseppe Salvatore and betrayed New Orleans, for Mystic Falls. They are going to pay for it tonight, and for allowing that scum of a son of theirs to run away with my daughter." Esther gulped but finally whispered, "Just get our daughter back, Mikael. Please." Mikael nodded and kissed her lips. "I shall, my love. Rebekah will be home, but she will not be safe from harm." Before Esther could protest, he left her standing there.

…

Cami was looking out the window, with her eyes closed and her fingers to her lips, worrying so much about what Davina was enduring in her relationship with Kol, and she wondered if the same thing would happen between her and Elijah. He had already hurt her through the knowledge that he was sexually active with Gia of all women this town held. At that moment, she felt his hands on her arms and he was rubbing them softly. He turned her around and kissed her cheek gently, surprising her. "I know you are still upset but I want to remind you that you should rest assured…Gia and I have nothing going on. Not anymore, Camille." His eyes were sincere and Cami let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Would you like to sit down? You look tired." When she nodded, he took her to the couch in the waiting room and he sat down next to her, as her head gently rested on his shoulder. Cami had to admit that the way he was playing with her hair was somehow enchanting and she loved it, even though she knew in her heart that she was not even close to forgiving him just yet. "I can take you home, if you truly feel that tired." Cami shook her head and whispered, "Davina needs me…and you have work…"

Elijah stilled as he heard her talk about the job which he had to assist to tonight. She pulled her head up and their eyes met. "You know." Elijah whispered and Cami nodded. "You do what you need to do and what your father wants you to do. I won't stop you, even if…" "If?" Cami just shook her head and said, "No, never mind. You do what you need to do and I will be fine here." "I can take you home. You should sleep." "I don't want to be home alone." Elijah nodded and gave up trying to persuade her, just as the doors opened and Cami's breathing hitched as she saw Gia with a small smile on her face as she and Uncle Kieran hugged. She looked over and saw the look on Elijah's face when he saw Gia. Standing up, he grabbed her hand and stood up as well. "Camille…" She smiled lightly and shook her head, whispering, "I don't want to hear any more." He sighed and let go of her arm as she moved to Uncle Kieran and Gia, with a sad smile on her face. "Hello." She whispered and Gia looked towards her, smiling, "Hello. It's good to see you here." "I came to support Davina in this tragedy. What are you doing here?" Gia shrugged and replied, "Just accommodating myself in the family." "Haven't you done enough of that on my wedding night?" "You had every right to know the truth. I don't know why you're angry at me when you should be angry at your husband because he did not tell you anything about us, before."

The blonde sister frowned as she hissed, "It was a low blow, Gia, even for you." Kieran frowned at her and snapped, "That is no way to talk to your sister. She thought it was for the best and she was right in thinking that you should know the truth. She was being honest with you." Cami rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Yes, how convenient, indeed. Exactly on my wedding night, she decided to show up and tell me how she and my husband had an affair." Gia squinted her eyes at her. "You didn't actually consummate the marriage though did you?" Cami looked into her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. There was an evil glint in Gia's eyes as realization hit her face. "Of course you haven't. I can imagine that you wouldn't even want to touch your own husband after knowing how he used to touch me." Suddenly, Cami was finding it difficult to breathe. Elijah was by her side in mere seconds and looking at Gia with contempt, as he pulled Cami to him by her waist. Kieran decided to back out of this conversation as Elijah said, "Not that it is any of your business, Gia, but you should know that we have consummated our marriage." Gia's mouth dropped slightly as she looked at him and then at her sister before growling, "You're such a man whore." "Gia!" Kieran snapped at her for the first time when he saw Elijah's nostrils flattering in anger. "It won't happen again." Kieran said apologetically as Gia stomped off. "Make sure that it doesn't. I intend on having a happy marriage with Camille." Kieran finally nodded and left the couple standing there, both in shock at what happened.

Pulling away from his touch, Cami faced Elijah with her hands crossed over her chest. "Why did you do that? Why did you lie to them and told them that we have consummated our marriage? What do you achieve?" Elijah simply shook his head and replied, "I get to have Gia leave you alone." "You really think that it is that simple? You think that she is just going to walk away? No, she won't. Gia doesn't give up when she wants something, Elijah and clearly, you are still the apple of her eye." Elijah shook his head and said, "Gia is going to learn to back away if necessary, Camille. You are my wife now and I intend to live a long and happy life with you. If that is ever going to happen, then I don't want Gia to be a problem for us." "Is that really what you want?" "Yes." Elijah told her almost at once and Cami nodded. "Okay. Then I can just accept that." "I want you to forgive me and offer me another chance." "Forgive you? Elijah that is not happening anytime soon." "Why not?" Elijah asked, but he pursed his lips as he realized that it was a stupid question to ask. Taking a step back, he said, "Alright. I will give you the space you deserve." She shook her head and stated, "It's rainfall over sunshine at this point for us, Elijah. Maybe in the future…but I can't…" She shook her head and left the waiting room. Elijah looked frustrated as he ran his hand through his hair. He knew he had to win her back somehow. He knew that there could be a right element involved and maybe poetry was not it.

…

Rebekah looked out and beyond, with tears in her eyes as Marcel held her from behind. "There is still time, you know. There is still time for us to go back." He whispered in her ear but the blonde girl shook her head slowly and whispered, "Marcel, if we go back, we can never be together and Father will punish me for running away." There was so much pain in her voice as she hugged him and he kissed her neck. "But I know how much you love your family and I love mine. Maybe if we will go back…we will be spared." "No, we will not. You and your family will suffer because I was the one who convinced you to run with me. Mother gave me a warning the night my brothers got married and she told me that what we have, will never be allowed to continue. She told me that we can't be together and I panicked. Of course I always wanted to be with you and my wish was that my father will accept you and we can be together, but that is just fantasy, Marcel. This is the real world and we must run."

He shook his head and brought her closer to him as he made her look at him in the eyes, "We are not far from home, Rebekah. There is still time to go back and make things right." "You clearly don't know my father." "Mikael doesn't scare me, just as your brother Klaus doesn't scare me. They are all just talk and no action." "I have watched my father kill the way you could never possible imagine. That is what he will do to you and your family the moment we go back home. Your parents could be in danger as we speak." Marcel pulled away from her at that moment and ran his hand on his hand in shock at what she was saying. "No. He wouldn't go after my parents." "He would. If my brother or my mother already told him that I am in love with you and have been seeing you behind his back, he will put the pieces of the puzzle together, Marcel and he will trace it all the way to your family. I am so sorry." Marcel shook his head and said, "That is exactly why we must go back, Rebekah." "What are you talking about?" "My family could be in danger. I have to warn my parents. I have to tell them that I am sorry and that I am okay. We can mend things, the two of us, if we go back now. We can tell them that this was a stupid decision and they will forgive us." Rebekah smiled but shook his head in disappointment at how his brain was functioning. "My father does not forgive. And my father does not forget. Even if he doesn't do it on the stop, he will find a way to make your life miserable eventually. He is vengeful. He has always been."

"I already told you that my parents could be in danger and that we can save them if we go back." Marcel said to her, desperately. Rebekah let go of the tears brimming in her eyes as she stepped over to him and cupped his cheeks. "You know that I love you, right? No matter what, Marcel. I will always love you." Marcel looked into her eyes and nodded, but he saw something different in her eyes. "Why do I feel like you are saying goodbye to me?" Rebekah shrugged and whispered, "I don't know but I have a feeling that things will end badly for us if we go back." Marcel shushed her and said, "If we go back and we manage to stop the fights and give reason to your father, he will understand and he will offer us his blessing. You must think like that, Rebekah, and I can save my parents from this cruel torture." "Do you really have that much faith that everything is going to be okay if we go back?" "I am not certain but it is not good to lose hope. And just for the record, I want you to know that I love you, Rebekah Mikaelson and I always will." He kissed her forehead and she nodded, kissing his lips gently and saying, "I will love you even after death itself." "As will I."

…

Sophie grabbed a hold of Camille, as she walked out of the waiting room and told her, "Listen, we all need to talk." The blonde frowned. "What are you talking about?" Looking nervous, Sophie responded as best as she could, "I found out something that I think I should tell you all. Including Hayley and Davina." "Okay…but where can we talk?" "Davina is awake now and I spoke to the doctor that the four of us can stay in there together and no one will interrupt us." "O…kay…" "Cami, you need to understand that this is hard for me and whatever I will tell you in that room, you need to keep it to yourself. I will be in big trouble if it gets out." "Fine. But just tell…" Before she could say anything more, Sophie was already dragging her to the room where Davina was lying in bed, with Hayley holding her hand. The girl touched her head and whimpered in pain as she felt the stiches. They hurt pretty badly. All of them. Hayley took her other hand and held it too. "It helps if you don't think about it." She whispered and Davina hissed, "That's easy for you to say. You don't have a husband who beats you." When she saw the look on Hayley's face, her own face fell as she said at once. "I am sorry. I don't mean to be so rude to you." "It is fine." Hayley said almost immediately, not wanting her to have a guilty conscience, as Camille sat at the other end of the bed, and Sophie stood in front of the bed.

"What's going on?" Hayley asked, placing her hand on Davina's stomach this time. Sophie saw that all the girls were looking at her and she was praying to everything she had that neither Mikael, nor Esther, nor Finn could hear her. "It is possible that the money Mikael is trying to get back is not his." "What are you talking about?" Cami asked, confused. "Before the wedding, I overheard Finn and Esther talking about something. They talked about the other greatest powerful Mafia Family leader from Mystic Falls, Giuseppe Salvatore. It seems that Giuseppe and Mikael were good friends and partners until one poker night when Mikael received those 500.000 $, but some people seem to think that he had won them unfairly, including Giuseppe. The Salvatore family is the greatest suspect as to who stole the money from the Mikaelson fund and Richard and Adrianna Gerald were behind it, as accomplices, in order to get back at Mikael for not letting them in the Board." Camille stood up. "You mean to tell me that it is possible that this alliance created by our own families...could have been prevented? If the money is not Mikael's, then we got married for no reason at all because the whole point of this alliance is to find the money lost." Sophie shook her head. "But that's the point. We do not know that this is true and that the money does not belong to Mikael. It could be his, for all we know." "What does he say about this?" Hayley asked.

"I don't know but Finn and Esther caught me when I was eavesdropping and warned me not to tell you guys, but I couldn't hold it to myself for much longer. You have a right to know." "I have to talk to Mom and Dad." Davina suddenly whispered and Sophie immediately shook her head. "No! I told you because I had faith you wouldn't plan on telling anyone. This is serious, Davina." "But what can we do now that we have this information? We can't just stand like this while we have a chance at annulling the marriages." Davina said and both Hayley and Camille looked at her in surprise. They couldn't blame her, the poor dear. She had been through hell ever since she was set to marry Kol Mikaelson. Of course she would search any possible way for the family to break the alliance with Mikael and get her the annulment of her marriage. Sophie scowled at her younger friend and hissed, "Unless you want us to become bed buddies in this hospital, Davina, I suggest that you keep your mouth shut for now. It is enough that we could know the truth." "But the Geralds…" Hayley began and Cami cut her off. "The Geralds have been declared a danger to society, Hayley. They are to be eliminated." Cami felt a sigh of relief as she realized that Marcel was far away from the city. Even if the girl he was seeing was in fact Rebekah, as she suspected, she wanted him to be safe from harm. The girls looked at each other in silence when the door opened and Esther and Finn walked inside, making Sophie's breathing stopped.

Finn stepped over to her, pulled her by the waist and pressed a firm and strong kiss on her lips, shocking the other girls as Sophie's eyes fluttered closed for a moment but then she immediately pulled away from him, but not in a disrespectful way, making Finn smirk at his accomplishment at getting her to like him. Perhaps this was the reason Sophie was hesitating revealing Finn's secret to anyone else. She could have started liking him. Hayley shook her head and tried not to think about that, especially when Sophie and Finn had always gotten on each other's nerves. But then again, so have her and Klaus. Esther put on a small smile on her face as she headed over to Davina's bed. "Your parents have some work to attend to, so they had to leave, but I hope that you are feeling better." "Fine." Davina mumbled under her breath with a sigh. Finn turned to Esther and said, "I must go, Mother. Father just texted me." She hugged him and whispered, "Good luck." Sophie frowned as she watched him leave in a hurry and asked Esther, "Where is he going?" "The time has come, girls, and the Geralds are going to be eliminated for treason." "There is no solid evidence." Hayley said before she could stop herself and Esther threw her a look. "Believe me, my dear, there is enough evidence."

…

The silence around the house was overbearing and Klaus could feel nothing but anger at the thought of these people helping their son taking his sister away from him. He was ready to pull the trigger at any time for his father. Mikael had already spoken to Kieran, to be on the lookout for any cops which would somehow find themselves in the Geralds' household. Finn, Kol and Elijah moved behind him as Mikael pushed open the door silently. He motioned for his sons to follow, as he felt something strange which followed the silence. "What the hell is going on? Are they out?" Kol whispered and Mikael shushed him at once, as he tried to hear something. Anything. A sound or maybe a movement. "Niklaus, do you hear what I hear?" Mikael asked and Klaus shook his head, whispering back. "There is silence, Father. Too silent for my taste." "MASKS!" Elijah suddenly yelled out as many bombs of gas shot out on them from upstairs. Kol immediately pulled out the oxygen masks out of his bag and handed everyone, as people started shooting. They looked up and saw both Geralds with the guns in their hands and ready to shoot till their death.

"LET'S PLAY!" Mikael yelled out, ignoring the gas bombs, and moving around, shooting every chance he got. There was no more talk, only action and the two people who had betrayed their family, in their own city, had to die. Kol ducked and was missed by Richard Gerald, as he yelled out, "THIS IS FOR CASPER!" At once, Klaus realized that he was aiming at him and he shot him in the chest. Richard yelled out in pain, but recovered quickly as Adrianna stood by his side and turned out to be an even better shooter than her husband was. This had gone around for many hours, as Mikael yelled out, "DIE!" and started shooting into the woman he once loved, but missed her. "STOP!" someone yelled out as the gas from the bombs had disappeared and everyone pulled off their masks, to see Rebekah and Marcel standing there, hand in hand with tears in their eyes. Everyone stood there, in awe, looking at one another, as Rebekah and Marcel placed themselves between them and Mikael looked at them with nothing but fury in his eyes. "I love him, Father." Rebekah whispered with her heart breaking as Marcel was keeping her tightly close to him. "Till the end of time." He completed her. The guns were still being pointed between the two sides and Klaus stood there for a moment, looking at the pair.

They were desperate. He could see how much his sister was hurting and immediately dropped his gun, as Mikael hissed, "Pick it up." The moment he looked away, Richard shoved Marcel and Rebekah aside and started shooting towards Mikael again, taking him by surprise with how much he missed. "FATHER, STOP!" Klaus and Rebekah yelled out at the same time as Mikael would not end this war. Kol and Finn continued shooting with their father, as Elijah lowered his gun as well, looking in shock as Rebekah started running. "REBEKAH, NO!" Marcel yelled out and started running after her, as the two found themselves once again in the middle of the shooting. "NOOOOO!" Klaus yelled out and noticed the bullets being shot from the weapons of both Mikael and Richard, and directly into the bodies of the young couple. Mikael's bullet shot Richard in the heart, as Adrianna was shot dead in the head by Finn. The last moment of the battle was the last struggle of the Geralds to shoot…directly into the bodies of Marcel Gerard and Rebekah Mikaelson.

 **A/N: I know you are all probably completely shocked about what happened at the end and I know that you might all be hoping that Rebekah and Marcel would survive this but…I'm sorry, they won't. This is the biggest tragedy of the story and it had to happen now. I gave you guys hints when Rebekah and Marcel talked about loving each other even after death and that they would die for each other…and they have. Mikael was not the one who shot them dead. The Geralds had done that, unintentionally, as they met their own death. Their deaths will have a huge impact on the Mikaelson family from this moment on.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews.**


	16. The Fall Of Romeo And Juliette

**In the previous chapter, Kol had to deal with the consequence that he might lose Davina, after the confrontation between him and her parents, and after seeing her possible wish of moving back to her parents' homes. Klaus and Hayley grey accustomed to each other, as Hayley finds herself more and more attracted to him after the night spent together. Gia and Cami had a final confrontation, as Elijah found himself defending his wife for the first time. Sophie has revealed the Mikaelson secret to the girls, as Mikael and his sons bombarded the house of the Geralds, resulting in not only their deaths…but also in the deaths of Marcel, their son and Rebekah.**

* * *

 **PLOT: The deaths of the Geralds as well as Rebekah, results in terrible grief in the Mikaelson family, as Mikael finds himself responsible. Finn finds out the truth about Sophie's inability to keep secrets, as he asked her, and meanwhile, Cami reveals to Elijah her feelings for the man she lost, Marcel. Unable to comprehend the loss of the only person he had let in throughout his life, Klaus refuges in his Art Room, as Hayley tries to get him to let her in. Davina makes a decision about her life, as she arrives home from the hospital. Mikael is present at another Board meeting to discuss their losses and how to move forward, as he receives news from Mystic Falls. Finally, Klaus succumbs into his deep desires, wishing to forget about Rebekah, after the funeral.**

* * *

 _"NOOOOO!" Klaus yelled out and noticed the bullets being shot from the weapons of both Mikael and Richard, and directly into the bodies of the young couple. Mikael's bullet shot Richard in the heart, as Adrianna was shot dead in the head by Finn. The last moment of the battle was the last struggle of the Geralds to shoot…directly into the bodies of Marcel Gerard and Rebekah Mikaelson._ Klaus was on the ground in complete shock and terror on his face as he cradled his sister's body into his arms. "REBEKAH!" Mikael yelled out as he dropped down next to his son and looked over at her body, checking her pulse in desperation. "Call an ambulance." Klaus managed to whisper to Kol, who fumbled with his phone. "No. It is too late." Mikael managed to say as Klaus looked at his father in shock. "What the hell do you mean?!" he exclaimed as he looked over Rebekah's body one more time…hoping…praying… "There is no pulse. She is gone." Mikael whispered and covered his face with his hand as both Finn and Kol had tears running down their cheeks but anger was shown on Klaus' face, as he stood up and left the house. There were no people on the street, as Kieran had made sure to clear them out, during the attack.

The enemy was dead…but at what price? His sister had sacrificed herself for the equal love she shared for Marcel and for her family. Klaus stood on the steps of the house and let the tears drop from his face as he breathed heavily with anger he could not control. "NO!" he yelled out and punched into the stairs, feeling his knuckles starting to bleed, but he continued to punch through the stairs anyway, wanting to feel this pain, other than picturing his sister's dead body in front of him. He wanted to blame his father, but realized that no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't. It was not him who shot the bullets into his sister's body, but it was the enemy. And the enemy was partially dead. Treason was what the Geralds had represented for the Mafia of this city. He hated treason and he knew now that his father was right about elimination those who worked with the enemy from other states. Vengeance, Klaus was prepared for such a thing. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Finn standing there, "We will get through this, Niklaus. We will." Mikael had made sure to set his sons up for cleaning the house and disposing of the bodies, except the ones of Marcel and Rebekah. "I want them buried today next to one another." He whispered and Kol looked at him surprised, "Father?" "JUST DO AS I SAY!" he yelled out as Kol obeyed his wishes and picked up their bodies.

Klaus came back inside the house with the look of hopelessness on his face as Mikael pulled him into a tight hug. "I shall be the one to tell your mother as we head over to the hospital now. You do not need to worry about a thing." Klaus returned his father's embrace as he tried not to show anymore weakness, but this was his sister. She was the woman who had constantly stood by him in his life for better or for worse. She helped him feel no pain. She helped him look past his troubles in life. She had been the light of the family. Without her, everything would be in darkness. "She died for love." Klaus whispered, and Mikael responded, "Which is why I want her to be buried with the boy, regardless of the shameful family he belonged to. I would do anything for my daughter, even after she is gone." Klaus tried to pull himself together, as he helped his brothers place the two bodies in the car, and all of them drove back to the hospital. The doctors graciously accepted the bodies to run tests on them in order to officially declare both of the young people dead.

Esther screamed in pain as she watched her daughter's lifeless body being tested in one of the rooms, as Mikael held her close to him and whispered in his ear that he would avenge her. In Klaus' mind, this was all that he wanted. Giuseppe Salvatore, the mobster who had caused his family so much pain, through using other families…he was the one who needed to be destroyed, and at that moment, Klaus realized that he would not rest until he shot a bullet through his head. Elijah hugged him, and as the most emotional one, he started sharing his mother's hysterical cries through the hospital, as Sophie, Cami and Davina watched in horror with their hands covering their mouths. The way Rebekah Mikaelson had died was admirable for them, out of love for the man her father would have never let her be with. "The fall of Romeo and Juliette." Cami whispered sadly, as tears streamed down her cheeks, at the thought of losing Marcel, the man she had once loved, but the one who could never offer her the same love in return. The doctors had come and eventually had to give Esther some sedatives in order to calm her, as she got even more hysterical, trying to pry Mikael's hands from her.

She eventually fainted into his arms, as the doctors told him that with her health condition and the pain of losing a child, Esther would have to be under surveillance here at the hospital for at least a couple of days. Klaus stood there, in the waiting room, with his bloody knuckles clenched and his eyes were staring straight ahead into nothing. He could not comprehend what was happening and the thought that he would no longer be seeing the smiling face of the sister who had loved him unconditionally and the only woman, ever been allowed to waltz into his Art Room and watch him paint…broke his heart. He stirred as he felt a soft touch on his hand and he turned his head to see Hayley standing there with her eyes brimming with tears as she grabbed his hand softly and pressed a kiss over his blood knuckles. She could see how much he was in pain. He did not want to show it. He did not want to let go of the tears he was holding due to his pride. She caressed his face as he continued to look deep into her eyes and she whispered, "Just let go and feel what you feel. Don't hide yourself from me." She whispered, sincerely as she pressed another kiss on his knuckles. When he shook his head, Hayley sighed and hugged him tightly, as he buried his face into her neck. She could feel the tears escaping him as he quietly sobbed into her neck.

"Wait for me here." She whispered when he pulled away and sat down on the couch. Hayley left but came back a couple of minutes later with some sort of liquid and some bandages. She sat down next to him and took his hands in hers, as she rubbed them with the oil she had been given and then carefully and gently, she bandaged them. Klaus watched her with surprise written all over his face as he whispered, "Why are you doing this?" Hayley looked at him and thought that he was not being serious but then responded, "Shut up. You are my husband." She bandaged his hands and then pushed herself closer to him until she was on his lap, and rested her head against his chest. Hayley was afraid for that one moment that he would push her away from him. She was afraid that he wouldn't want to have anything to do with her. She was afraid that he would never let her be his wife in true senses of the word. But his hand went around her back and he kept her pressed tightly to him, to her surprise. They rested in silence for a couple of moments before she heard him say silently, "I am going to kill him…with my bare hands."

Hayley looked up and saw that his eyes showed vain and hunger for revenge. She caressed his stubble and shook her head. "Don't think about this now, please." "It is the only thing I can think about, Hayley. He killed my sister, using the weakest family link of the city. He took our money…Giuseppe Salvatore is going to pay by my hands. I am going to kill him. He has not seen the last of me. I am going to…" "Klaus, stop. Just stop! Your sister just…" She didn't want to say the word so she kept the words lingering. Klaus looked into her eyes and shook his head. "No, Hayley. He is going to pay. He is going to watch me, as I make his family suffer, just as he made mine suffer." "You're giving the people who have inflicted pain on you the satisfaction. You are only hurting yourself more through your choice of words. Please…you have lost your sister, a good girl, a good friend to me, and the person who knew you best…remember her memory…keep her in her heart. Don't shut down. Don't result to hatred and spite as a way of getting revenge." At that moment, Klaus pushed her off of him and stood up from the couch, saying, "Revenge is the only thing I can think about at this moment. You should learn to accept that, little wolf, if you so dearly want to be my wife." "I am your wife!" Hayley snapped, angrily.

He turned around and walked towards her, whispering menacingly, "Then you should know that the time has come when I will no longer be looking past your foolishness with a smile on my face, to disrespect this family's rules. And as you have just broken the second one, which is and I quote… A Mikaelson wife is not allowed to question her husband's actions, of any kind, displeasing him…punishment will be waiting for you when we get back home." Hayley took a step back from him with horror on her face as she could see the seriousness on his. "So this is what it has come to? You are going to grieve and relieve your stress and anger on me? You are going to beat me unnecessarily?" "IT IS NOT UNECESSARILY!" he yelled out and Hayley looked around to see that no one was bothering to watch them. "Fine. I will leave you alone. You can grieve on your own if that is what you want, but you are never going to do to me what Kol has done to Davina!" she pointed a finger at him in anger and pain in her heart at his constant refusal to let her in. She knew that it wouldn't happen easily but now with Rebekah's death and vengeance being the only thing on her husband's mind, it seemed almost impossible. He watched with a heavy heart and regret as she left the waiting room with tears in her eyes.

…

"Uncle Kieran." Cami whispered and greeted her uncle with a small nod. Kieran shook his head and whispered, "Horrible tragedy…I feel sorry for that girl…but what she had done was foolish." Cami's mouth parted and she said at once, "I don't think it is right to speak in such way about a person who just died, especially since it is the daughter of your greatest ally and friend, Uncle Kieran." "I think that you should start minding your own business my dear…" "I am and I am looking out for the best interests of this family." Kieran pointed a finger at her and growled, "Do not think that I do not know about the shame you had brought the moment you slept with that boy." Camille felt her heart quickening as she looked around and saw that Elijah was speaking to Kol, and was not around to hear their conversation. "Uncle, please…" "No! You should be ashamed of yourself." "How did you know?" "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Camille. Do not take me for a fool!" "I never have, Uncle." They eyed each other angrily before Kieran whispered, "Mikaelson thinks that he can treat me like a fool. He has claimed to be my friend for years and our alliance has become even stronger through your marriage but…I find it impossible for our friendship to last longer than it should."

Cami's breathing hitched as she asked him, "Uncle, what are you talking about?" "It does not concern you, so I suggest you get back to what you were supposed to do and that is to respect the rules and be a supportive wife to your husband! I am glad that boy is out of your life, and you can stop thinking about him and stop shaming your family." Cami startled when she felt a hand around her waist and Elijah stood there, with a tired look on his face, as he whispered, "I thank you for your concern, Kieran, but I believe that Camille has followed her duties as a wife to me good enough." Kieran smiled at him sadly and shook his head, saying, "Of course. I was not criticizing her. You have my deepest regrets for what has happened to your sister, Elijah and I wish you and your family well. My condolences, and I am sure Gia will send hers." Cami looked away at hearing her sister's name. Elijah nodded, sadly as Kieran walked away. Cami turned to him and asked softly, "How are you feeling?" "My sister died in front of my eyes." "I'm sorry. I truly am. She was an amazing girl. I liked her." Elijah shook his head for a moment and then asked, "Why do you allow him to speak to you like that?"

"Who? My uncle?" "Yes, your uncle." Cami looked lost for words as she whispered, "He is my uncle. It's exactly the point. I trust his judgement." "He is criticizing you for everything he supposes you do wrong and that does not bother you?" When she didn't answer, he continued by asking, "You thought that I wouldn't notice?" Camille shook her head and said softly as she covered her body with her hands, "I don't think that I should be the one you should worry for at the moment." Elijah looked at her for a long moment before nodding and whispering, "I never thought this would happen." "I never thought that Marcel and his parents…" Cami couldn't help the tears appearing in her eyes at that moment as Elijah watched her. "I couldn't help but overhear a part of your conversation with Kieran." Their eyes met as the question came up, the one Cami was most afraid of. "Were you in love with Marcel?" Cami pulled her finger out of her mouth as she looked away and whispered, "We had a one night stand…and we were close friends but that is it." "I believe your uncle mentioned that you had feelings for him…and still do?" At this, Cami frowned and turned away from him. "What happened before is my business and mine alone. You have other problems to take care of, as you can see."

He stayed there paralyzed before asking quietly, "What makes you think you can talk to me that way?" "Elijah, I'm sorry but my feelings for Marcel stay with me and me alone. I don't have to share them with you." He raised his eyebrow and stepped closer to her. "Is that so? You have made it a big deal of what was between me and Gia, and I couldn't feel guiltier. As for you, and your adventures with Marcel, you seem to have no regrets." Cami suddenly couldn't take it anymore and yelled out, "GIA IS MY SISTER!" Elijah raised his hand at her and yelled back with fury and tears, "DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME!" Cami looked around and bit her lip, ashamed of the way people were staring, including Davina and Sophie. Elijah took a few steps back from her as Cami covered her mouth, afraid of the next moment when he would lose his temper and he would hit her, just as they were taught by their father, to discipline their wives. This had never happened in her family. Her father was never like that with any woman and despite Kieran's temper, she doubted he had ever treated a woman this way. "You are tired and your family is mourning your sister. Be with them." Cami finally told him and left in a bit of a hurry.

…

Sophie had tried to stay away from him and give him some space, but he would not leave her alone. Finn pulled her to him, a bit softer than usual. Her heart broke as she saw the pain he was showing on his face. "Yes…?" she asked in an unsure way. "You have told them, haven't you?" he asked her and Sophie looked confused. "Told them what? Told who?" "The other girls. You told them about Giuseppe Salvatore and my father's deal." Sophie started shaking her head when Finn snapped, "Don't lie to me!" "I have told them, yes." She thought it wouldn't be for the best to lie to him, especially not now, after so much had happened. They had been stuck in this hospital for a while now and she was tired. First Davina's injuries and now Rebekah's death. "I thought I could trust you." Finn said in a broken whisper. Sophie understood why he was speaking this way, so unlike him. His sister…she passed away and God knows how much he loved her, how much all of her brothers loved her. "You can trust me, but they deserved to know the truth. Why do you continue to keep secrets? We are all family now."

Finn shook his head and hissed, "No one in the Board is to know…" "They know." Sophie whispered back. "How would you know that?" "My parents have been talking about the relations between Giuseppe Salvatore and Mikael since forever. Even my sister knows." Finn looked taken aback by her answer and looked away. "And it seems that I cannot trust you to keep a secret…" "There is no secret to keep. What are you and your parents so afraid of?" she almost yelled at him. His fists clenched and Sophie stepped back, afraid of what he might do to her, but he didn't do anything at all. Letting out a deep sigh, he said, "If you want to go home, you can go home. I will tell Father. The whole lot of you girls have stayed here long enough and there is no need for you to be here now anyways." Sophie shook her head and whispered, "I am your wife, and you better get used to the fact that your pain is becoming my pain. I am here to support you…so please don't send me away." After a few moments of silence, Finn said, "My father has his pride to keep and Giuseppe Salvatore has been stealing it from him piece by piece." Sophie was surprised by what he was telling her. She crossed her hands over her chest and asked him in a much softer voice, "And what about the 500.000 $. Do they really mean that much to him?"

"My father hates competing with the Salvatore family. Getting the money back means proving to the world that he is the best Mafia leader. Don't you see? It's all a game…and many of us have to suffer for it. My mother…my sister…" Sophie shook her head for a moment and asked, "Your mother…?" "She has cancer." Finn finally said to her and then covered his mouth, in shock that he had told her. "What?" "You are not to repeat anything to anyone. I have said too much to you." "I have a right to know what I have gotten myself into since I married you, Finn and these secrets won't remain secrets forever. These things will come out eventually. Tell me about Esther. What sort of cancer…?" "Lung cancer. That is the reason my father claims he fights for the money but it's all an act." "I don't understand how he can play with all of you like this. He plays with his wife's treatment? If he does have the money for the lung transplant, why doesn't he just give her the damn operation?" Sophie asked and Finn signaled for her to stay quiet.

"Because if he says he needs to find the money for my mother's operation…he needs to stick to that story, before anything goes wrong." he answered and Sophie looked shocked. "And my parents and neither of the other Board members don't know that they have gotten involved by Mikael in a fight they can't win." She concluded and Finn shook his head. "No. We can win. We are the most powerful, and no one and nothing will stop us." "But your mother…" "My mother can take it for another couple of months, just until we kill Giuseppe Salvatore." "Kill him?" "He is a threat to our family and cost us…Rebekah." He said in a teary voice. "Finn…" He grabbed a hold of her hands and said, "You are a Mikaelson now. You claim to be my wife and if you truly are my wife, you will not say a word to anyone on that Board. You have outed me to your little friends about my father's entanglement with the Salvatore Mafia leader, yet, I still trust you to keep this to yourself now. Don't disappoint me. Please." Sophie didn't know how to feel as she continued to stare at him and after a moment seeing the pain in his eyes after what he had lost, she leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on his lips, taking him aback, by her gesture.

Before he could take a moment to talk about her action, Mikael appeared by their side and placed a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Good work today, my son!" Finn was surprised that his father was proud of him. He usually tended to let all of his pride reflect on his brother, Niklaus. "You agree with…" Mikael simply shook his head and whispered, "It's my fault. Your sister is dead because of me." Finn grabbed him in an embrace and shook his head. "No, it was not your fault, Father. Don't think this way." "It does not matter what I think. Rebekah is gone, but so are the Geralds. I am calling for an emergency Board meeting this moment. Your mother is going to remain in the hospital for a couple of days. You and your brothers need to take your wives home and prepare the funeral for your sister. As I said before…it is important to be discreet. I do not want any press…no nothing. Do you understand me?" "Yes, Father." Mikael pulled him in for another hug as Sophie watched and whispered, "I don't think I will ever be able to forgive myself. I don't know how your mother is going to survive this." As Mikael left, Finn turned back to Sophie who tried to keep her eyes averted from his, in fear that she would show some emotion she didn't want to show after she kissed him.

"What is it?" he asked her and she simply shook her head. "It's like he feels no remorse…" "He does feel it! He blames it all on him, just as I expected him to. He is a good man and you will realize that when you will get to know him better." "You may say that because he is your father and I am your wife, but I have a hard time believing that." When they didn't say anything after that, Finn noticed her confusion and after a while, he asked through the silence, "Do you want to go home?" "What is home to you?" "Back at the mansion. You are a Mikaelson now, hence that is your home just as much as it is mine." Looking around and not bearing to see any more pain going through that hospital, Sophie finally nodded and was surprised when Finn picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the waiting room.

…

He expected her to run from him, but she didn't complain the moment he came to pick her up from the hospital bed and take her home. Kol sighed in frustration at Davina's unwillingness to speak to him. He wished she would say something, anything at all, even if she decided to yell at him and cry for the way he had treated her. Watching his brothers with their wives, Kol felt a pang of jealousy in his stomach as he realized that he could never have that with her again. Not after what he had done. He had abused her the worst way possible and the thought that she was going to accept her parents' offer and move back to her home, scared him. He didn't want to lose her. He wanted to earn her forgiveness.

Thinking about the loss of Rebekah pained him even more, as he watched Davina sleep in the car. The brothers arrived home with their wives and they each headed to their separate bedrooms on the wings. It was just them, with their mother at the hospital, and their father at the meeting. When Kol put down Davina, he noticed her going into her room at once and shutting the door behind her. Kol stood there in awe, and did not seem to find the desire to enter his own room, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to see Elijah standing there. "I need you to cooperate for the funeral with me. As per Father's wishes, we are going to bury Rebekah with her lover together." Kol shook his head and continued to look into the door of his wife's room. "As you can see, Elijah, I have more problems and suffering I have to tend to apart from the fact that my sister had died. I have lost Rebekah. I don't want to lose my wife." Elijah slid his hand from his shoulder and whispered, "You should have thought about that before you treated her the way you have." "Why don't you just go and ask Finn and Niklaus to help you?" "Niklaus is not very respondent. And I want all of my brothers to assist me. Rebekah was sister to all of us." Kol wanted to respond, but Elijah said, "Do what you need, and then I expect you downstairs."

There was nothing but quiet in Davina's room as Kol gently knocked on the door. When no one responded, he opened it gently and expected to see her packing her things, but she was simply rested against the headboard of the bed, reading a book, silently, often touching her head where the stiches were. She acted as though he was not there and Kol sighed, frustrated again that he was the one who had to start the conversation. "Do you need anything?" he asked her and at that moment, she looked up from the book she was reading and slowly shook her head, going back to it and taking in deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. When she didn't respond, he tried again. "Darling, if you need…" "I am not your darling and I don't want anything from you!" she snapped, taking him by surprise at her courage. She was not the same scared little girl he had threatened before. Not being able to hold back his curiosity, he asked her, "Why are you still here, then?" "What are you talking about?" He went forward to the bed, took her boom from her hands and set it down, sitting on the bed and facing her. "Why are you still here after all I have done? I have imagined that you would not wish to see me anymore."

Davina looked at his face for a long minute before nodding and whispering, "You're right. I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore." "Then why aren't you packing? Why aren't you moving back to your parents' homes?" For some reason, Kol could feel his heart quickening at the thought that maybe she didn't want to leave him despite everything he had done to her. "Because I am married to you, and I will stand by my vows until I will find it impossible. I am not moving, especially not when you have just lost a dear family member. Me moving out is the opposite of what you need…but I refuse to offer you the comfort a normal wife would offer her husband. I will stay and the only thing I ask is that you leave me alone." Noticing that there was nothing left to say, Kol nodded and stood up, realizing that there was still a chance for things to get better. There was hope after darkness he had experienced today of losing his sister and almost losing his wife too. He left her room in peace, knowing that.

…

"You have the condolences of the entire Board." Annabelle commented when Mikael sat down in his seat, at the table. The leader of the Mafia group ran his hand through his hair and mumbled in a tired voice, "When I asked you to join this Board, I did not invite you to comment on the tragedies going on in my family." He growled at her after a moment. Annabelle was ready to snap back, when Jack covered her hand with his and shook his head, in sign that she should leave him alone. "Getting to the matters at hand. Why have you called this Board meeting, Mikael?" Robert Deveraux asked. Mikael looked up from his worries and decided to put the tragedy of this night behind him, enough to go through this meeting and then go back home. He knew what he needed to say to his people. Clearing his throat, he whispered, "I have something I need to tell you all, something which you wish to know…about my wife…and the 500.000 $." The whole Board was listening now to the President. All eyes were on him as Mikael continued with a heavy heart, by saying, "Esther is sick. She has pulmonary cancer." Everyone gasped at the table as Mikael continued. "As for the money…the 500.000 $, I was planning on claiming them to be mine in order to pay for my wife's lung transplant, even though I may do so as we speak."

Even though the shocked looks on their faces was not making it easy for him, Mikael continued. "You needn't worry. I shall pay for my wife's lung transplant first thing tomorrow and she will have her operation. The tumor is not very progressed, so she is in no danger with this operation. As for the 500.000 $. I was to claim that I would use them for the payment of my wife's lungs, but in fact, it was to protect my pride. Years ago, the Mafia leader of Mystic Falls, Giuseppe Salvatore was a good friend of mine and after we thought of the many years of rivalry between Mystic Falls and New Orleans, we had decided to unite. Unfortunately, the deal ended the moment on a poker night, I lost my money to…" Jack stopped him and said, "We know what happened, Mikael. What we don't know is whether or not these 500.000 $ were yours to begin with." There was silence and Mikael made eye contact with all of them. "Yes. Despite what you might think of me and your mistrust that I might have cheated in that game, I can assure you that I did not. That money is mine." Before Jack could respond, Annabelle stood up and looked at him angrily, exclaiming, "How do you expect us to trust you after you would use your wife's own sickness…" "Annabelle!" Jack exclaimed and looked at Mikael in an apologetic way as his wife sat back down again but the fury did not leave her face.

Mikael examined her for a moment before saying, "Yes, I have shamelessly used my wife to hide my pride of getting my money back." "OUR money!" David Claire exclaimed with a growl. The leader nodded and whispered, "Yes, you're right. Our money. I know you probably have no reason to trust me now, even after we have successfully gotten rid of the traitorous Geralds…" "Well, actually there is a reason we must trust you still." Mika Deveraux stated and Mikael frowned. "And why would you care to do so?" Kieran pushed a piece of paper towards him and Mikael stared at it in awe. "I got the information from the airline." "How could you…?" "I am an old friend of the manager there. He got me the information. Giuseppe Salvatore booked five seats in First Class, and he is coming to New Orleans in two weeks." Mikael shook his head and whispered, "No, this can't be possible." "It is possible. And my guess is that he is coming with his two sons and their wives." "What about Lillian, Giuseppe's wife?" "Lillian Salvatore died two months ago in a car crash. Giuseppe made sure that the man who had gotten his wife killed, was shot dead." After not saying words for a long minute, Jack said, "We got ourselves the greatest enemy coming in our town, your past friend and your current foe because of that money. What do we do, Mikael?" Smirking, Mikael whispered, "The enemy is on our territory, ladies and gentlemen. We show no fear to them. Let them come, and see what their intentions are."

…

The funeral was hard for him to bear and the moment the bodies of Rebekah and Marcel could finally rest in peace together in their tombs, Klaus turned around as rain hit the Lafayette Cemetery, and headed back to the Mikaelson mansion, not knowing that Hayley had left the others and followed quickly behind him, with her dress drenched from the rain. Anger hit him as he walked through the door and Klaus' first destination was his sister's room. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked over her make-up, her dresses, and all of her studies. He growled in frustration and hit the bed, pulled out the drawers and ripped her clothes apart, as he thought about the absence of both of their parents at her funeral. Klaus closed his eyes and yelled out, slamming his head against the wardrobe and hissing soundly. He was frustrated. He could barely think. He was lost, as he started moving his legs, knowing exactly where he had to go.

Opening the door to his Art Room, he stood there, looking over at the few paintings of his sister, and slammed his fist into them, destroying one and just before he was going to do the same to the next, a hand pulled his fist away and Klaus looked up to see Hayley standing there, still in her wet black dress. "Don't." She whispered as he continued to stare at her. "I don't want you to do things you will later regret, no matter how hard this must be for you. I want to be here for you, and I don't want to have to bandage your fists again…" "ENOUGH!" Klaus roared, taking her aback by his anger as he pulled his hand away from her, turned to a canvas and picked up his brush, and the red paint. Blood was what he envisioned that moment and that was exactly what he was going to paint. He could still feel her behind him. "This place is restricted as far as you're concerned and I thought I had made that clear the first day you moved into this house." He whispered and Hayley shook her head, stepping over to him and making him put down his brush, cupping his cheeks and making him look at her. "I am your wife. Don't shut me out. Please, Klaus." She intentionally caressed his face, knowing that was the thing which always seemed to calm him.

Hayley sighed as she understood that she had his full attention now. "When we were at the hospital, I spoke to Doctor Stevens and I have given her my resume." Klaus frowned for a moment as she continued, "I have decided that I am going to take up her offer and that is to be a part-time nurse there, as her assistant and who knows…maybe I will become a real doctor someday." She was expecting him to say something, about their relationships or even the Mafia…but he didn't. She could feel the tears brimming in her eyes as she pulled away her hands from him and whispered, "I am sorry I bothered you. I won't come here again." She went back to her room and let the tears fall, when her door opened and he stood there, looking at her. She was in shock as she watched him close the door and step closer to her, grabbing her waist and making her gasp. Their eyes met and Hayley could feel herself getting hotter and wetter by the second as she stared into his orbits. "I want you." He said in a soft and yet broken voice. Hayley could see the pain and the desire combined, and realized that as his wife, she was entitled to take care of him and take care of his needs.

Nodding slowly, she let him kiss her neck softly as she moaned effortlessly. In a matter of seconds, her shirt was off and she was being pressed on her own bed with him on top. He kissed every single part of her as gently as possible and her heart shattered as she realized that he was doing his best to avoid her lips, as he always did. Taking off his own clothes, Hayley breathed deeply with her eyes closed as she felt his warm hands at her back, taking off her bra and his mouth moved over her breasts, as she felt readier for him. He took her right there, making her arch her back, as she felt him pleasuring her too, not only himself. For that alone she smiled. As they climaxed together, Klaus pulled back to look into his wife's eyes and saw her smiling at him. Not showing anything but pain, he buried his head into her neck, as Hayley stroked his head softly.

 **A/N: This was a very heartbreaking chapter and difficult for me to write. I love you guys for waiting eagerly to read. The Salvatores are coming to town, and the next chapter is going to have a time skip of a week and a half, something like that.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	17. Heal My Broken Heart

**Previously, on Corrupted Souls, the family mourned the loss of the darling Rebekah Mikaelson, as she met her end with her lover alongside her. Elijah had learned Cami's secret about being in love with Marcel, as Sophie learned the secret that Esther has lung cancer. Davina had decided to remain at the Mikaelson mansion, under no pressure. Meanwhile, Mikael had a Board meeting, presenting the arrival of Giuseppe Salvatore in two-week' time. Hayley had gotten a part-time job, and Klaus had decided to please his wife, and to have her please him.**

* * *

 **PLOT: One week and a half after the burial of Rebekah and Marcel, Esther finds herself as a new person as Mikael finally pays for her surgery with deep regrets he had not done so earlier. Hayley had started her part-time job at the hospital, tending to peoples' needs, as Klaus finds himself, after days of being locked up in his Art Room, with the desire to see her. Elijah, frustrated with his wife thinking of someone else, finally decides it to be time to consummate the marriage. Hayley and Camille have a girl to girl talk about their men, as the blonde girl informs her to what she had been keeping hidden in her room, while Kol prepares a special lunch for Davina. At last, Klaus meets an old blast from the past, inducing the long awaited drama, with more family problems.**

* * *

Esther smiled as she was laying on the hospital bed with Mikael by her side. He kissed her hand softly and whispered, "I never should have left you alone all this time. I should have been there for you and I shouldn't have used you…" His voice trailed off as Esther shushed him. "I am cured and that is the only thing that matters to me now." Mikael nodded and caressed her face, adding, "I still want my money back." "I know you do. You are a very ambitious man and that is one of your best qualities. Those 500.000 $ are meaningless for me, but if they mean a lot to you, we will get them back, as a family." Mikael nodded and said softly, "That money is truly mine, Esther. You know I wouldn't lie to you about this." "I believe you." "Giuseppe Salvatore is coming to town at the end of this week with his family. We should be able to confront him. He is on my territory now and things have changed." Esther nodded and after a moment, Mikael started saying, "I know that it has been over a week since…" She shook her head as she let silent tears stream down her cheeks. "She was my daughter and I loved her. But what was in the past needs to remain in the past now. Our family must learn to cope and move on, Mikael."

They didn't know that a young girl was standing a little further from them, wearing a white overcoat, and she had a small clipboard in her hands, as she listened to what they were saying. Finally, the girl took a deep breath and drew the plastic curtains, meeting the eyes of Esther and Mikael. "Hayley, what are you doing here? And why are you dressed in white?" Hayley offered her a kind smile as she checked her medical examination and said, "I am working as a part-time nurse now, Esther." "Since when?" "Since last week. I thought your husband or mine had told you." Esther looked at Mikael and shook her head, saying, "No, they have not." Mikael sighed in frustration and whispered, "She wanted to do something for herself. Niklaus had nothing against this decision of hers to get a job, so why would I be against it?" Esther looked back at Hayley and said, "I thought that my son would need you at home." Hayley shook her head. "No. I am sure that he likes spending the morning alone for a change. We all have our own private moments when we do not want to be disturbed. Ever since Rebekah…he has shut himself down and prefers his Art Room more than anything else."

Hayley bit her lip as she thought about the many times this week he had come to her at night and made love to her. She let him, and for some reason, she started feeling different. Hayley felt her heart fluttering every time she saw him, and when he was looking over her body so dearly and kissing it with gentleness, but still avoiding her lips, she felt at ease with him and with herself. She thought that this was their own little progress. But deep down, Hayley realized that this was his own way to relieve the stress and the frustration he had deep inside, combined with the pain of losing his sister. He needed the comfort and since she was his wife, she offered him that. She could feel herself going red in the cheeks, as Esther and Mikael continued to stare at her. She took a deep breath and whispered, "You will be pleased to know that the operation was a success and you may leave in a couple of hours. Doctor Stevens will inform you in detail when she arrives."

She turned to leave the room when Esther said, "Hayley, come here for a moment!" Hayley obliged and returned to the place where she previously asked, as Esther whispered to Mikael, "Can you excuse us for a couple of moments? I want to talk to my daughter-in-law." Mikael nodded and left the bed, as Hayley sat down, requested by the woman. Esther looked deep into her eyes and took her hand in hers. "Hayley, my son is hurting." "Yes, I know that, Esther." "Is it possible that you can do something to ease his pain? Rebekah meant the world to him." Hayley rubbed her forehead and sighed, saying, "I am doing everything I can." "Does he find comfort and passion in you?" Esther asked the gentlest way possible and she could see Hayley's red cheeks as the girl nodded. "Then why doesn't he let you in?" Esther asked, taking her off guard. How would she know what was going on in her marriage? It was disturbing, but Hayley could never say that to a woman who just got rid of her sick lungs. "I think you should be resting, Esther." Hayley stood up but before she could leave, she asked her, "Is it true? Is our family is danger because the Salvatores are coming?" Esther looked surprised at what she had overheard and wanted to tell her a thing or two about eavesdropping but changed her mind when she saw the worry on the girl's face. "Yes, it is true."

Mikael came back to the bed as Hayley left and took a seat on the bed, feeling his wife's flaming cheeks. "You are going to be alright, I promise you that." "The cancer is never truly gone." It was the reality and Esther knew better than to be pessimistic in a moment when her children needed her, but she believed that her life would be shortened even with the operation. Mikael growled and shook his head. "Don't you dare say that! You are my wife and I have taken care that your new lungs are perfectly young and healthy. You don't have to worry about anything. The cancer is not to come back. All you need to do is breathe in as much fresh air as possible and take care of your body through vitamins and nutrients. I will tell Laura what she needs to do." "Have you spoken to Niklaus?" "No. He refuses to see anyone. I believe Hayley had told you that." "He needs to open up to someone. He can't hold it all in. I know my boy. It is not going to do him any good." Mikael nodded and whispered, "Then it is good that you will be released out of this hospital today. That boy needs to pull himself together, just like his brothers have already had. We have an enemy to destroy and a city to protect!"

...

His mind was functioning as a mind of a robot would for the past week. He wished that he could take away the pain he felt, but there was nothing he could do to stop himself from painting her. Rebekah Mikaelson, his beautiful little sister, the heart of the family, as a big portrait. Klaus admired it for a long minute the moment he finished the portrait. She had a pale complexion and glowing blonde hair. She died for the one thing she believed in, and she hoped that he would one day find it too…love. Sighing, he put down the portrait and added it to the main others, ready to paint something else on a new canvas. But at that moment, the vision of his beautiful sister was replaced with the vision of another woman, with mesmerizing hazel eyes, a seductive smile and her hair the color of chocolate. He closed his eyes and mumbled, "Hayley." She had been wonderful to him for the past week. Whenever he wanted her, whenever he was ready to sleep with her, she would offer him the care he needed without complaining even once. She was acting as a submissive wife, and Klaus was starting to understand her concern for him was the only thing stopping her from putting her foot down, and telling him off, for wanting to sleep with her almost every night, and had nothing to offer her back.

Ever since she took the job at the hospital, he had been feeling lonelier and lonelier in his home, not understanding what the right thing to do was. Did he want to stay away from her and only go to her when he needed sexual comfort? Did he want her by his side at all times? What exactly did he want from her? That was what was frustrating him and he could not find the answer. She was not being herself around him anymore, and no rules were broken. She did things exactly the way he wanted to please him. Klaus thought that submission was what he wanted from her...but he found himself wanting something else entirely, something he never wanted with any woman before. He felt the brush move across the canvas fast, as he felt anger building up inside of her, but at the same time, he found that his heart was aching for her. He finished moments later and looked over at his masterpiece. The portrait of the woman who was his wife. Putting his hand in his pocket, Klaus pulled out his phone and dialed her number, waiting for her to answer. When the call kept on ringing, he ended it and headed down to the basement where the training room was. He knew what he needed to do.

An hour later, he found himself at the hospital, with his knuckles bleeding. He headed over to the receptionist and whispered, "My hand needs to be taken care of." The woman placed her hand over mouth in shock at the way it was bleeding and immediately put her hand on the phone, saying, "I will call Doctor Stevens right away." Klaus chuckled and shook his head. "No, I am interested in seeing Hayley Mikaelson for this." The woman frowned and said, "But Hayley Mikaelson is only a part-time nurse here." "And I am her husband! I am sure she can take care of a small bleeding." The woman raised her eyebrows as she looked over at his wound again and it didn't look that small. "Very well. Since you are her husband… head over to room 457. She should be there, with a patient." Klaus nodded and headed to the room the woman told him to. The truth was, he hated being in this hospital, but he had to find a reason to come and see her. The wound was his other masterpiece, and he knew that he would receive his wife's attention with something like this, without having to let go of his pride and saying that he just wanted to be here with her. He opened the door to the room, and saw her beautiful self, standing there.

Hayley was smiling and then the patient on the bed pointed behind her. She turned around, with the clipboard in her hand and her jaw dropped when she saw him standing there. "Hello, love." He whispered with a small smile, catching her off guard. "Klaus, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. "I seem to have gotten in a small accident." He replied and showed her his bloodied fist, making her gasp. "I'll get Doctor Stevens…" "No. I would prefer you, little wolf." She looked into his eyes, confused but he smirked and said, "I will be waiting in the hall. You may finish with this patient first." He left and Hayley stood there in awe. Klaus waited and waited for her, observing the damage he had purposely done to his fist and before he knew it, she had left room 457 and was with the clipboard in her hands, saying, "I have to report something to Doctor Stevens. Make yourself comfortable in room 450 and I will be there soon." She told him. He nodded and obeyed her request, as Hayley looked at his back, noticing a certain change in him. Why was he insisting that she is to be the one to take care of his wrist? No longer complaining about it, Hayley informed Doctor Stevens of her husband's problem and left to see him, hesitating before opening the door to room 450.

He was sitting on the bed, waiting for her. Hayley held a syringe in her hands, as she stepped over to him and examined his fist. "How did you manage to get it this damaged?" she asked, completely confused. "I was in training, little wolf." He mumbled, using her very special nickname, which he knew, turned her on. Hayley tried to ignore this and injected some antibiotics into his hand, in order to stop the bleeding and prevent the wounds from infecting. Then, she took the bandages and started wrapping the hand expertly, as his eyes never left her face. As she was focused on his hand, he put his hand on her waist and pulled her down on his lap, surprising her. "I thought you would be more comfortable." Hayley rolled her eyes at his known attempts to seduce her as she continued bandaging him. When his hand was all ready to go, Hayley pressed a light kiss on it, just as she did the last time he had hurt his fist. Klaus leaned his hand into her neck and pressed soft kisses on it, making her moan the way she never had before. "Not here." She breathed out when she felt his hands roaming up to her breasts. Pulling away from his embrace, Hayley stood up and said, "Klaus, you are going to cost me my job. Please. You are all fixed. I have other patients I must help Doctor Stevens with."

Disappointed by her words, Klaus pulled at her hand and stopped her from leaving, saying, "I had purposely damaged my fist." Hayley looked confused for a moment and asked, "What? Why would you do that?" "You were not answering your phone, love, and I wanted to get the chance to see you." She looked even more confused by his words. Why would he go through all of this trouble just to see her? "I am your wife and I am only here half a day. You could have waited until noon." A frown appeared on his face as he growled, "This is what you gave up a spot in the Board for? Being an assistant?" "Klaus…" "You graduated Harvard…and you play the role of a part-time nurse." "I am young and unexperienced. My dream is to be a real doctor one day and I know I can become one, if I start from the bottom and move my way to the top but for that to happen, I need to gain experience and I am not going to be offered that kind of experience if I stay around the house all day and do nothing as you do whatever your father asks you to." "Hayley, you are my wife and I want you to be with me." He replied, before he could stop these sort of words coming out of his mouth. "What do you want me for?" she asked him in a whisper, as he recall the numerous times they had been intimate with one another this past week.

"Is that the only thing that you constantly want from you wife? You want her to be your sex pleaser? Is that all you want me for? Tell me now so I can make sure that taking this part-time job was the best decision I have made in a long time." Hayley said as Klaus continued to stare at her. He knew and understood what she wanted. She wanted them to be a couple in all senses of the word, but he had never offered any woman that kind of lifestyle, and it wasn't his own style to be tied down emotionally, hence he never locked lips with a woman before, knowing the softness of them would trigger something in him and he would never be the same son to Mikael that he was before. Klaus knew that love was a great weakness, which is why he avoided it at all costs and now, with the burning anger and vengeance in his heart, and his one goal to kill the man who had brought the death of his sister, Rebekah…was the only thing that mattered to him. He needed to stay focused. Hayley noticed his hesitation and without fear or anything holding her back, she cupped his cheek and said, "I know that you are afraid…"

"I am not afraid of anything." Klaus responded at once. Hayley stepped even closer to him and pressed her lips against his cheek for a moment, making him go weak in the knees at the feeling of her soft plump lips. "I wish you wouldn't push me away. I also wish you wouldn't use me just for your pleasure…" At that, Klaus snapped and pulled back, looking at her. "Is that what you think I am doing? You think that I am using you?" He was outraged at her thoughts. Tears filled her eyes as she slowly spoke again, "I don't know what I think anymore, but only one thing is for certain. I am falling in love with my husband." Hayley found the courage to tell him and noticed his face getting pale. "What hurts me is that I know he could never feel the same way about me, but want him to know that his wife is going to respect and support him for better or for worse, and just know, that your wife loves you." He wanted to go after her, but couldn't as his feet remained frozen to the ground, and she left the room.

…

Elijah had been frustrated with her for the past couple of days, Cami knew that well, because of what happened to Rebekah and of course, her past relationship with Marcel. They would wake up together, and walk down to east breakfast. The family breakfast rule had become meaningless, since Mikael had become even busier with the upcoming face-off with the Salvatores, and not to mention that Esther was now reviving from the operation. Elijah would eat breakfast with her in silence, as well as with the other couples, before standing up and leaving the house. She hated the way he was avoiding to speak to her about anything and as Cami finally found refuge in her room, she pulled out her violin from time to time to practice. She felt her heart shattering at the thought that he might be with Gia again...behind her back. Davina would sit with her and assure her that Elijah was not the type who would cheat on his wife, like Kol was. The violin practices have become sadder and sadder for her as the only image that appeared in her mind was the face of Marcel, her past lover.

She knew that she should have told Elijah before, but she felt angry that he had not told her about his relationship with Gia, and Gia was in fact, her own sister. Why would she be at fault for not telling him about a one night stand with Marcel? Holding the violin in her hands, she stopped playing that morning and stared at it, as she found herself something classier to wear, as if she were some sort of opera muse. Sounds were coming from outside and Camille gasped as she realized that it was Elijah who was coming to the East Wing. She quickly put the violin back into her box and placed the box under the bed, where she kept it. Her door opened gently and Elijah walked inside, in his regular dashing suit. His eyes widened when he saw what she was wearing. "Are you going somewhere?" he asked softly and Cami simply shook her head, saying, "No. I just wanted to try this on for a change. Does it bother you?" Elijah shook his head, as he continued to look at her, from head to toe. "You happen to be beautiful."

For the first time that week, Cami decided to show him a smile as she responded, "Thank you for the compliment." Staring at her constantly, Elijah went to her desk and pulled out her notebook from her drawer. "Have you had any chance to write some other poems you would like me to look over?" She lowered her head, fumbling with her fingers and said, "No, I'm sorry, I…" "It is quite alright." Placing the notebook back on the desk, Elijah turned to leave when she placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him and exclaimed, "If you want, we can look over the ones that are already written." Elijah frowned and whispered, "But we have already reviewed them." "I know, I just…I was hoping…" She wanted to tell him that she wanted to spend time with him but she just couldn't. Fortunately for her, Elijah could see the desire in her eyes and he smiled a little, nodding and saying, "It would be my honor, Camille."

They took a seat at the desk and Cami felt that this was just like the old days, when they were getting to know each other. He had been so kind to her from the beginning before the whole thing with Rebekah and Marcel had blown over. Just like he had been grieving Rebekah for the whole week, she had been grieving Marcel, and this was her chance to finally take a step towards moving forward. As he talked about a specific poem, her eyes were constantly on the masculine aristocratic forms on his face. She was smiling and nodding for a long hour, before she felt his hand brush against her hand on the desk. Looking up, Cami could see a desire on his face she had not seen before and the next moment, he had brought her into his lap, kissing her passionately. It felt so real, so different from the way it had felt between her and Marcel. Elijah pulled her closer as he stood up and her legs wrapped around his waist, moving her lips synchronically with his. Cami was ready to forget all about the tragedy, all about her and Marcel and him with Gia. She was finally getting what she wanted deep down.

Placing her on her bed, Cami took deep breaths, as he fumbled with her dress, pulling it off of her and letting it pool on the floor as she took off his suit, with his help. Before he could land on her, she placed her hand on his hard chest and broke the kiss, saying almost breathlessly, "What are we doing?" "Consummating our marriage. I have been waiting to do it for a long while, but…I wanted to find the right moment." "And you believe now is the right moment?" Her heart was constantly beating as their eyes met and he nodded, "Yes." Kissing her deeply, he made her forget about her worries. After that passionate kiss, he entered her, making her feel whole for that moment in her life, that her husband wanted her, and she found herself wanting him too.

…

That afternoon, Davina was back to reading her favorite book on the bed when an envelope slipped into her room. She frowned and stood up, looking over it. Finally, she opened it and pulled out the letter which stated, _Please join Kol Mikaelson at a special lunch, in your honor. Time: 13:00, Place: The Dining Room, Dress: Formal._ Davina rolled her eyes as she recognized is own handwriting and cursed under her breath. He promised her that he would leave her alone. What did he want now? Despite her better judgement, Davina decided to go, not seeing any harm in it, and she was hungry. She looked at the clock and realized she had an hour to prepare. Dressing formal was not a problem for her, as she had many dresses, some of which Rebekah herself had picked out. She closed her eyes and felt herself starting to worry about this lunch. Finally, picking out a small and green dress, she accessorized it and waited for 13:00 to arrive, not wanting to admit that she was eager to seeing him purposely so they could talk. Despite everything that he had put her through, she was still his wife.

Kol took a deep breath, starting to worry that she may not want to come. He grinned the moment he saw the doors opening and the maids presented Davina to him. Motioning for them to leave, the doors closed and Davina crossed her hands over her chest, looking over the table and all the delicious food being placed on it. "What happened to the traditional family lunch?" He snorted and spoke, "I think that we have passed that, don't you think? After everything that had happened?" Davina nodded and looked over at the suit he was wearing and couldn't help but giggle, as the sight. Kol smirked and looked over himself, saying, "What? Have I spilled something on myself, darling?" Davina shook her head and said, "No. It's just that you look ridiculous and pathetic at how hard you are trying to get me to like you, even after all you did to me." The smile disappeared from her face and she was now looking at him seriously, as Kol ran his hand through his hair, not wanting to get upset at the way she was talking to him.

"I wanted to make it up to you." He finally said and Davina shook her head. "If you think that through some dinner, I will just forget, then you are wrong." "Then why are you still here? Why are you being so stubborn and why won't you move back in with your parents?" Davina looked at him for a while before taking a seat at the table and saying, "Because I wouldn't want to give you the satisfaction of me being gone from your life so you can start sleeping with Charlene again." His mouth dropped as he watched her help herself to some of the food. Snapping out of it, Kol immediately took a seat next to her and said, "You think I would cheat on you as we are married?" "I don't think. I know, because I am not offering you the sexual satisfaction you need." "Oh, darling, you are hurting my feelings. Would I really be that cruel as to do this when I already am on the brick of losing you?"

Davina chose to look away from him as they continued eating. "I just don't want you to get the impression that I am staying here because I want to be with you. I am staying here to protect my family's business and avoid their humiliation. Can you understand that and stop pestering me?" "How do I pester you, darling?" "For starters, this lunch you prepared." Kol put on an innocent face and stared at what he had on the table. "What is it about this meal that bothers you?" "Your failed attempts to get me to be on your good side. That is not going to happen, Kol." Davina responded with a sigh. They ate in silence for a few moments until she could finally see the look of true sadness on his face as he whispered, "Maybe it would be for the best if we just…eat." Maybe she was being too paranoid, but what If this was yet another trick of his, playing the guilty act with her? But taking a closer look, Davina had a thought that maybe, just maybe…he was being sincere with her for the first time ever, and his sadness was true. It still wasn't going to help his case…but it was a start.

…

Three days later, Hayley was looking out the window of her room, wondering what she should do. Should she just quit her job and be with Klaus full-time like a Mikaelson wife should? She realized that with her new job, she has barely seen Cami, Sophie or Davina anymore. There was a knock on her door and Hayley looked up to see a smiling Camille, entering. "Hi. I thought we could talk." She said with her hands crossed over her chest. Hayley smiled too in an apologetic way and replied, "I know that you are going to tell me how upset you are about my job but I…" "But nothing, Hayley! Tomorrow is your birthday or have you forgotten that? June 6th rings any bell to you?" Hayley hugged her and whispered, "I had no idea you even knew when my birthday was." "Well, I do know and one other thing I know is that you are staying home tomorrow. No working, not even part-time. It's ridiculous." She frowned and pulled back from the hug asking, "What is so ridiculous about it? Is it that bad that I want to do something with my life?" "No, of course not! It's just that…" "Just what?" "It's Klaus…" "What about him?" Hayley asked, feeling her heart quickening. They had not spoken since that day at the hospital. He had not even come to her room anymore.

"I look at him and I feel like he is falling apart without you. You need to be here for him, since no one else is." "I am sure that he has his family looking after him." "But you are his wife and that makes you his family now too." "He doesn't want anything from me, Cami." "What? What do you mean?" "We had a fight when he came to the hospital three days ago with a bloodied fist. I took care of his wounds only to find out that he had done it on purpose just to come and see me. But he only wants my body, nothing serious or deeper than that." "And what did you say to him?" Hayley hesitated for a moment before responding, "I told him that I am falling in love with him…and he practically didn't want to hear it." Cami nodded but said, "You shouldn't give up here. He is hurting and you need to reach out to him, to make him understand what you feel and then you can understand what he feels." "Cami…it's more complicated than that." "Why do you make it so complicated?" Hayley hesitated from saying anything about Klaus not kissing anyone before. She didn't want to reveal intimacy issues about her husband.

"Let's talk about you and Elijah for a moment, because I feel that is one of the reasons you came to talk to me." Hayley told her, sitting down on the bed as Cami followed her and played with the fingers on her lap, smiling. "You picked up on that, huh?" "Yes, I did. Tell me what's wrong." "It has gotten better actually. I didn't want to say anything but…um…three days ago, we finally consummated our marriage." Cami said with a small smile and Hayley nodded. "That is good. That is a good step." "Now, I don't know whether or not I can trust him." "Why don't you feel like you can trust him?" "Because I have a hobby which might affect him." "What hobby?" "I have a violin, stashed under my bed and I have been practicing since I was little how to play it. When I was younger, Gia ruined the violin given to me by my father because she hated the noise. So did my Uncle Kieran. I bought myself a new one and didn't tell anyone about it, to not disappoint the family." "And you feel like telling Elijah about it?" "I don't know, that's just the thing." "What's the problem? I am sure that he is not going to take it from you. He is a classy guy, not like your jerk of an uncle, or your hellish half-sister."

"Gia plays the violin too, Hayley." Cami mumbled and she noticed the look on her friend' face fall. "No, tell me that isn't true. How can you have the same hobbies? You are barely related." "My father's blood runs in both of our genes, so we kind of are related, Hayley. That is why I call her my half-sister and when it comes to playing the violin, she is the best. She always has been. And since Elijah and her were…like that…I am guessing that he might know all about her violin performances and her awards and I feel like if I show him my violin now, it might ruin what we have already started building, don't you think?" "I think that you should do what your heart tells you, Cami. I am having troubles of my own and believe me, I am the last person who could give you the right advice on how to handle your relationship." They looked at each other for a long moment before Camille flashed her, a big smile and said, "You know what? This is really depressing and tomorrow is your birthday. I am going to talk to Elijah and tomorrow, we will have a grand party here in your honor. We can invite everyone and your parents." "Cami, no…" "No. You deserve it, just like we all deserve some fun around here."

"Cami, this family lost Rebekah. Do you really think that they are in the mood to party?" "It's been almost two weeks since the tragedy. We need some life brought back into this family and trust me, I miss Rebekah too…I don't think that she would want us to live unhappy for the rest of our lives." "So what do you suggest?" "We should just go out right now, have a couple of drinks and just look on the wonders and the beauty of life, instead of just looking over the negative aspects." "What about your violin problems? Weren't you going to talk to Elijah about it?" "That can wait. You need to be taken care of. Come on! Let's go out for a drink and I won't take no for an answer." Hayley rolled her eyes and got of the bed, searching for something to wear from her wardrobe. "Fine, if you insist."

…

A bottle of scotch was always at Rousseau's waiting for him, in order to calm his nerves. Jane Anne Deveraux served him whatever he needed, without speaking to him much. Klaus rolled his eyes and drank half the bottle, setting it down and looking over at the ring on his finger which symbolized his marriage to Hayley. She couldn't love him. He couldn't offer love, and he thought that Rebekah had well explained that to her from the start, but as always, the little wolf was stubborn and she didn't want to listen. _"I wish you wouldn't push me away. I also wish you wouldn't use me just for your pleasure…" At that, Klaus snapped and pulled back, looking at her. "Is that what you think I am doing? You think that I am using you?" He was outraged at her thoughts. Tears filled her eyes as she slowly spoke again, "I don't know what I think anymore, but only one thing is for certain. I am falling in love with my husband."_ He didn't want to admit how much their conversation at the hospital had broken his heart for her. As he continued drinking from the bottle, he thought about his happiness and what Rebekah had wanted from him. Hell, he even thought about what Marcel had told him that day, when he caught him and Rebekah making out behind a building. He needed love in order to find happiness and he needed happiness in order to find redemption.

"I'll have a beer, please." Klaus heard a voice next to him, a voice very familiar to him, but his brain was not functioning probably to understand who it was. The moment he turned around, he saw a young woman in her early twenties with long and curly blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She was wearing a shirt with décolletage revealing her C-cup breasts. She turned her head and groaned when she saw him, taking her beer. "Caroline." He said simply. "Yeah, remember me?" she asked with a smirk and her hands on her hips. "As a matter of fact I do, love. You did please me for five months before moving to Mystic Falls." She scoffed and said, "If you're trying to seduce me into becoming your little play thing again, you can forget about it. I am married." Klaus chuckled and looked away, shaking his head. "Is that so? And who is the sucker who fell for the charms of a little blonde teenager? Not that I would care, love. I happen to be married now as well. Your problem is that you give yourself too easily. Which is why you have no one to blame but yourself when you became, what did you call yourself again…? Ah, yes, my little play thing." He put his mouth on the bottle for another gulp as Caroline said, "Actually, my husband is Stefan Salvatore."

Klaus spit out the scotch out of his mouth and looked over at her as she smirked at him. "What?" he asked in a whisper as she showed him the ring on her finger. "My husband is Stefan Salvatore, so you can no longer refer to me as little Miss. Forbes, as you used to. My name is Caroline Salvatore. Moving up in society, integrated in a rich family and I am actually married to a man who appreciates my needs and loves me for who I am." "Or perhaps he simply found you good in bed and his father was desperate to find him a wife." "Really? And why exactly did you get married? Not because your father didn't want you to?" Klaus chuckled and looked at her, saying, "If you are so keen on knowing, love, I asked my father for her hand in marriage. She is beautiful, has spunk, she is smart, witty, funny and incredibly seductive. She can be the female version of me, only much a much calmer and level-headed person who doesn't induce herself in drinks three times a day. I wanted her to be my wife and she said yes." Caroline nodded with a frown on her face, feeling humiliated that Klaus Mikaelson had treated her like dirt, while he found another woman someone worth respecting and loving in his mind.

Laughing and telling jokes, Hayley and Cami made their way into Rousseau's at that moment and they stopped in their tracks as they saw Klaus at the bar, talking to a pretty blonde girl. "Oh no." Cami mumbled under her breath. Hayley felt her heart quickening, as she asked her, "Who is she? Do you know her?" "Caroline Forbes, the girl Klaus used to screw around with before she left for Mystic Falls a while ago. I guess she is back in town now, and in long conversation with him…" Cami's voice trailed off as she saw the look on Hayley's face. "Oh no, Hayley, I don't think…Hayley!" She snapped out of her thoughts and whispered, "I'm sorry, Cami. I have to go. Some other time." She felt getting dizzier and dizzier by the minute, observing the way the blonde girl was leaning over the counter, showing her large breasts as Klaus was deep in conversation with her, drinking in the meantime. She should have expected this the moment she confessed her feelings to him. He didn't want to be tied down to any woman. He wanted action and fun because that was who he was.

She got into a cab, before Cami could stop her and said, "Drive." The man started driving as Hayley leaned her dizzy head on the window. The man asked, "Where to, lady?" "Out of the city." Hayley managed to whisper. She didn't want to be here. She didn't care where she would go, she just knew that she needed a break from here. Her heart was shattering as she tried to block the images of Klaus and that girl, and failed. There was a noise and she gasped as she saw a truck heading on the wrong end, approaching them faster and faster, without being able to stop. "SHIT!" the cab driver called out as he tried to avoid the crash. She felt the oxygen leave her body as the impact of her crash, sent Hayley's head slamming against the window until it bled. She fainted before anything else could happen.

 **A/N: Hayley had a car crash right before her birthday the next day. That sucks right? Anyway, more interactions with the Salvatores will come in the next chapter, as the Mikaelson family learns of Hayley's accident. What do you think of Caroline? Will she be a distraction for Klaus even though she is married? What will Hayley think and how will Klaus explain himself?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	18. Flashlight

**Previously, in Corrupted Souls, Esther had had a successful operation, discussing with Hayley the difficulties of Niklaus. Klaus purposely damaged his fist in order to see his wife at the hospital, the new place where she is working, only to be rejected. Elijah and Camille consummated their marriage, and Davina and Kol shared a sincere lunch with a sincere conversation. Deciding to go for a girls' day out, Hayley and Camille observed a conversation at the bar between Klaus and his former fling, Caroline Forbes. The chapter ended with a car accident involving Hayley.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Sophie discovers something which could change her relationship with her husband. Desperate not to lose her, Klaus rushes to the hospital, where Hayley is being cared for by Doctor Stevens. Caroline introduces the critical situation to her husband, Stefan and his father, Giuseppe, as the Salvatores reveal the new mansion in the center of the city they had bought. After getting the health examinations on Hayley's condition, Klaus does something unexpected, seen by Davina. Camille reveals to Elijah her violin and her past story with music, with unexpected results. At last, the Salvatores invite themselves to a grand ball, to celebrate the 23** **rd** **birthday of Hayley, at the Mikaelson residence, followed by dances, confessions, happiness, and heartbreak.**

* * *

Sophie entered his room with a determined look on her face to talk to her husband about their kiss, and what it is symbolic for them now. "Finn." She whispered, having the look of his sad and broken face in her mind of when he had lost his sister. Taking a step forward and opening the door, Sophie gasped as she saw a look which would terrify her forever. Finn was on the bed and what he looked like, sucking some sort of powder from a box. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed, catching him off guard. Finn looked up, scared and quickly put the box back in the drawer. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, but Sophie wouldn't listen, as she immediately stepped over to his bed and pulled the drawer out as well as the box, showing it to him. "What the hell is this?" Sophie asked angrily as Finn held out his hand. "Give it to me." "No! Not until you tell me the truth of what's inside and why you were putting it in your mouth? What is it?" There were tears in her eyes, as she felt she already knew the answer to the question. "Sophie, I said that you give that to me and stop asking these pointless questions!"

His voice was raised and Sophie could feel the tears in her eyes as she asked him, "These are drugs aren't they? Finn, you are my husband and I demand an explanation for this." "If you are my wife as you claim you are, then you should be reminded that in this family, you are not the one who asks the questions and makes demands!" With that and brute force, Finn grabbed the box from her and put it back into the drawer. He wanted to send her away, and get back to what he was doing, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to see her sobbing lightly. It made his heart break, without understanding why. Since when has he started caring for her? He wiped away her tears gently as she asked, "Were those drugs? Please, just tell me." Her voice was softer and without him knowing, it brought the answer out of him. "Yes." "Where did you find it?" Sophie asked, shaking her head in shock as he cupped her cheek and made her look at him in the eyes. "The Geralds had it in their bedroom. I took it when we went to ambush them." "What is it?" "Heroin. Now, are you done with the questions?" "No." "You should be, because I am not willing to answer anymore."

"But you should be. You need to tell me why you have decided to do this so I can help you." Sophie insisted as he let go of her cheek and groaned, looking away. "There is no need for you to help me. That thing is helping me cope." "Cope? This is about Rebekah, isn't it? That is why you're damaging your health?" Sophie asked, barely being able to believe that she had reached a point where she was trying to convince her husband not to take drugs to ease his pain. "But this can't be about Rebekah. You took the drugs before the tragedy could happen, didn't you?" Sophie asked. Finn looked at her for a moment and replied, "No. I wanted to show my father the drugs before my sister's tragedy. After which, I figured I better keep them for myself." "For your own pleasure?" Sophie suddenly asked him, angered. "Yes! Is that what you wanted to hear from me?" "No, of course not. I want you to tell me that I am dreaming and that you are not seriously…" "What have you come here for?" Finn hissed at her. Sophie looked surprised at the way he was deviating from the problem at hand, but decided to answer him anyway, without fear of what he might say. "To talk to you about our kiss at the hospital."

Finn was just as surprised as she was. "Do you mean the moment when you kissed me?" "You kissed me back. I felt it." "You must have been imagining it." "No! I was not! I didn't want to talk to you before because I knew that you were in pain because your sister passed away but it has been weeks and now, I no longer give you the choice! We have to talk about it." When he chuckled, Sophie pulled at his arm and pressed a firm kiss on his lips. She smiled to herself in success as she felt him kiss her back the very minute. Their kiss became more passionate as he pulled her closer and molded his lips against hers perfectly. Her arms went around his neck and when he finally pulled away after two minutes, Sophie rested her forehead on his. "You can't lie to me now." She whispered as he answered back, "I was not planning on doing that." "So, will you admit what you feel for me?" "If it will get you to stop asking me about those drugs." Sophie looked into his eyes and she saw that he was being serious but she shook her head. "No, I can't put your life at risk just to get you to admit your love for me. I will tell your father about those drugs." "No!" Finn grabbed a hold of her hand forcefully and Sophie could see the look on his eyes changing. She could understand that the drugs were to blame for the change of emotions.

"The side effects, Finn…you can't live like this. You will damage yourself, can't you see that?" "If you tell my father, I will make sure that you receive the beating of a lifetime." "You would never hurt me!" Sophie exclaimed, outraged that he could think that she would submit to his wishes. "Oh no? You have not seen how my brother treats Davina, have you? That is going to be you on the hospital bed the moment you tell anyone about these drugs." "No, I don't believe you will ever lay a hand on me." "I have raped girls before. Don't think that I can't do it again!" he told her but Sophie continued shaking her head. "You can continue to say that, but I still think that you're bluffing. You're not going to hurt me." "Try again, why don't you? Try again, push me around and you will see what happens!" Finn warned. "No." She went up to him again but just as she expected, she was pushed away. "You are my wife, and if you want my love…" "How dare you put your feelings in a bargain?" "I was not…" Sophie kicked the leg of a stool and growled, "Fine! Burn in hell for all I care!" before turning around and leaving the room. She was not going to inform anyone of his stupid decisions. She had pride to protect. Sophie was going to wait for the moment when she knew he would desperately come to her to help him.

…

Klaus chuckled, at the many ways Caroline was trying to get information out of him about his family's new status. "What do you find funny?" she snapped at him as Klaus pushed away the bottle of scotch. "I find it funny that you claim that you have such a wonderful husband, and yet you prefer wasting your time with me than with him. If I didn't know any better, love, I would say that you're trying to win your way back into my bed." "You're disgusting!" "That is not what you said when you opened your legs for me all those months ago. Do I need to remind you of what you were saying?" "I don't want anything to do with you." "Then please be on your way and leave me alone." Klaus muttered, getting tired of her attitude. Caroline put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "No, I am not moving from here so I can give you the satisfaction. Yes, I do have an incredible husband which I am sure you are going to meet soon." "I'm looking forward to that moment. Now, leave!" he snapped at her. He had enough problems as it was, without his blast from the past, annoying him, as she did even when they were supposedly together. He realized how much he missed seeing that beautiful face and gorgeous hazel eyes. _"I don't know what I think anymore, but only one thing is for certain. I am falling in love with my husband." Hayley found the courage to tell him and noticed his face getting pale. "What hurts me is that I know he could never feel the same way about me, but want him to know that his wife is going to respect and support him for better or for worse, and just know, that your wife loves you."_ He feared her confession, but that did not mean that he wanted her gone.

His phone started ringing and to his surprise, Hayley's caller ID appeared. His heart was beating faster and faster as he answered the call saying, "Hayley, love…" _"Mr. Mikaelson?"_ a voice of a man asked and Klaus' breathing stopped as he answered, "Yes, who is this?" His fists were clenching with anger at the thought that maybe she was with another man, a man she could speak to about her problems. _"I am Officer Dan, from the Police Department. It appears that your wife was in a car crash between the taxi that was driving her out of the city and a truck that was driving on the wrong side of the road."_ "What?!" _"I suggest that you make your way to the hospital, where she has been transported. Her injuries are not that bad, but she is in a coma."_ Klaus ended the call and ignored Caroline's questions, heading out of the bar and practically running to the hospital. The moment he entered, he was already on the phone with his father and mother, who would arrive soon. The moment he pushed open the doors, he spotted Doctor Stevens and marched to her saying, "Where is she? Where is my wife?" Doctor Stevens closed her eyes for a moment and asked, "What is it with your family and this hospital? You have been our regulars for the past few years." "Where is she?" Klaus asked again, his voice a bit louder.

"You need to calm down, Mr. Mikaelson. Hayley is in room 452, but in a state of coma." Before she could say anything else, Klaus was already heading to that room. Doctor Stevens had to yell out to him, "She is in deep sleep! You must not disturb her! It's dangerous!" The only thing he cared about was seeing her and when he opened the door to room 452, his heart broke as she saw her connected to many machines, with her hair let loose and her beautiful eyes closed. "My love." Klaus whispered brokenly as he stepped over and kissed her forehead, connecting his forehead with hers, breathing in and out deeply. A knock on the door startled him, as Doctor Stevens entered, with a clipboard in her hands and a sigh. "Hayley will be fine. Minor concoctions. You don't need to worry and I am sure she will wake up soon." "How soon?" She shrugged. "In a couple of hours. Stay with her if you wish, but don't do anything to startle her from her sleep. It can affect her health." Klaus nodded and asked in a whisper, "She will not be able to work here anymore, will she?" He was desperately hoping that she would say yes. "She will, but not right away." "I want her home with me…so I can take care of her." Klaus said before he could stop himself. He could understand how selfish he sounded, but he just couldn't help himself.

Doctor Stevens understood what he was saying and as she looked over at a sleeping Hayley, she said, "Mr. Mikaelson, you need to understand that your wife has passion in what she does here. She may be just a part-time nurse around here but the patients adore her. She has talent and could grow with experience. If she works hard, she has a shot at taking my job around here." Klaus frowned and asked, "What do you mean?" "I have been transferred to Canada." "Why have you been transferred?" Doctor Stevens smiled and said, "I don't want to brag but it's because I am good at what I do. They offered me more money there so I am moving to Canada in a couple of months." "Any doctor can transfer to a different country if they wish?" Klaus asked. "Yes, of course. If you're a good doctor and do your job well, you get job offers in different countries around the world. So like I said, Hayley does have a shot at taking over my job around here and I know she can be a good doctor to anyone. My point is, Mr. Mikaelson, that you should be encouraging your wife to succeed, instead of…pardon me…showing selfishness to not want to share her talents with the world. There are people here in desperate need of a good doctor like I know she can be. Hayley can save lives here. Think about it."

She left Klaus in thought, as he could remember the way his wife had treated the wound on his fist. She had been so careful and so gentle with him. Yes, he wasn't going to deny that he wasn't selfish. He was. He wanted her to be his and only his, but…people would need her. If becoming a doctor was her dream, he wouldn't stop her. There was a knock on the door and Esther entered with Mikael. Behind them were Elijah and Camille. The rest were in the hall. "How is she?" Esther asked in a whisper. "She's in a coma but the doctor said that she will be fine after a while. She will wake up." Esther nodded and she and Mikael decided to leave him alone, while Cami was the only one who insisted on remaining in the room. "I cannot understand why she wanted to leave the city. Why was she in that cab?" Klaus asked in a whisper, caressing her forehead. "She was with me, Klaus. We decided to hang out in town and we stopped at Rousseau's. She saw you speaking with a blonde girl and when I recognized her as Caroline, she ran out before I could stop her." Cami explained. "How could she know…?" "Rebekah apparently told her all about Caroline. And I might have said something too. I'm sorry for what happened." With that, Camille left the room, watching as Klaus pressed another kiss on Hayley's head.

"Is it true, little wolf? Was this the reason you wanted to leave?" he asked softly as he kept his lips pressed against her forehead. His hand was in her hair, feeling its softness. "I promise you that if you open those pretty little eyes of yours soon, I can explain everything. I will let you do whatever you wish. I will no longer complain because of your job. I will let you save other people's lives as you saved mine. Yes. It is true. You have saved me from myself, from the darkness I was building inside of myself when Rebekah died. You have been my flashlight." With that he pressed another firm kiss on her cheek and looked at her face, adding, "If you wake up soon, I promise I shall accept your feelings for me. You will no longer be alone. I will be here for you." With hesitation building up inside of him, his eyes darted over to her lips, those dry and yet perfectly formed lips. Images of him making love to her, avoiding her lips and the looks of disappointment he could always see she was trying to hide, ran through his mind, as he took in a deep breath, leaned in and pressed his lips against hers with his eyes closed. He moved them gently over hers, feeling their pleasure, even when she was asleep. It felt…amazing to him. He continued doing so, not knowing that a certain someone was watching him from the window.

…

She was making sure that no one was following her. Pulling out her keys, she entered the mansion and grinned when she saw Stefan there, waiting for her. He came to her and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. "How is my wife?" he asked when he finally pulled back. Caroline wrapped her hands around him and said, "Fine. I met Klaus at Rousseau's today." Stefan's eyes immediately hardened and Caroline giggled, shaking her head. "You need to relax. Nothing is happening between us. He is married now anyway. The poor girl…" she said, shaking her head. "So, what have you got for my father?" "Nothing much. Nothing has changed aside from the fact that all of Mikael's sons are married, living happily but they are still in search for that money." "Well, they are never going to get it!" A voice exclaimed from upstairs. Caroline and Stefan looked up to see Giuseppe, coming downstairs, with Damon and Katherine. Stefan noticed Katherine's messed up hair and his brother's jeans were ruffled. "Christening the house already?" Stefan asked his brother, with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, baby, we haven't had the time to do that!" Caroline put on a pouty face, and Damon laughed. "You better listen to your wife now, Stef. I know mine gets awfully cranky and having sex is not in the agenda for one day." At that comment, Katherine kicked him in the gut and soon, Damon was pining Katherine to the wall with a smirk on his face as the two started kissing each other aggressively. Stefan rolled his eyes and turned to Caroline, saying, "We have plenty of time tonight." "No!" Giuseppe snapped and Damon and Katherine immediately got off each other. "There will be no fooling around until the moment when we have finally put an end to the Mikaelsons once and for all." "Why are they searching for the money so badly now, Father? I heard that Mikael's wife is alright now." Damon asked out of curiosity. "Mikael is vengeful and he won't accept humiliation. I know him. He will do whatever it takes to get those 500.000 $ into his bank account again." After that, Giuseppe turned to Caroline and asked, "What have you been up to today? Any news for me?"

"I met Klaus Mikaelson, but he didn't have much information to offer me." Caroline reported and Giuseppe nodded. "I don't think that you might be trying to best approach here…" "Father!" Stefan snapped and faced him with anger. Giuseppe raised his eyebrow and asked, "What is it, son?" "Klaus has hurt her far enough while she was here. I don't want her meeting him anymore. Put someone else for the job. Katherine, if you will. She will seduce that bastard in no time." Katherine placed her hands on her hips and asked with a growl, "Why me?" "Because as much as you're a manipulating bitch, you're also pretty good with the gun." Stefan told her. Katherine smirked and pulled out a small gun she had been keeping in her panties, pointing it at him. "Is that so? Then I suppose you wouldn't mind be doing a small demonstration now, would you?" Damon chuckled and took the gun from her, kissing her cheek. "Come on now, Kit Kat. You know he is just trying to be amusing, aren't you, Stef?" Stefan took Caroline's hand in his and said, "Under no circumstances will I allow Caroline to submit herself to this!" "Baby, if I can do it…" Caroline began but Stefan cut her off. "No. You're my wife. End of discussion."

Giuseppe ran his hand through his hair, frustrated as he whispered, "Well let me be exceedingly clear about something. The Mikaelsons are hosting a party at their mansion tonight in honor of one Hayley's 23rd birthday." "Who is Hayley?" Katherine asked. "The wife of Klaus Mikaelson. We will be attending the party tonight." "Are we invited?" Stefan asked. "No. But I am sure that Mikael will not dare to not invite us. After all, we have been friends once…upon a time." Giuseppe popped open a bottle of champagne and served his sons and their wives. "I believe that our little guest shall be arriving here soon." The Mafia Family Leader exclaimed and Damon asked, "What guest?" "Someone very special, who is going to help us take down the Mikaelsons soon enough." There was a knock on the door, and Giuseppe watched as the butler went to get it right away. Inside stepped the guest, they had been waiting for. "Jane Anne Deveraux!" Giuseppe exclaimed with a smile on his face, and pulled her in for a hug. She accepted it with a smile on her face. "I have to say that I have missed seeing you." He told her. "I can say the same." Jane Anne replied, as Giuseppe pulled her closer and said to his sons, "Jane Anne and I will be in my study, discussing some very important business and I don't want to be disturbed." Stefan and Damon continued to enjoy the champagne as they frowned but nodded. "Sure, Father." "Yeah, no problem!" With that, Giuseppe helped Jane Anne into his study.

They waited eagerly until the doors were closed completely and he pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately. "I missed you very much." He whispered seductively as Jane Anne pulled back a little. "I had to come back here, to see my family and my sister." "Our business and relationship were both doing great back in Mystic Falls. I wish you hadn't left." "Giuseppe…you were married…" "But my wife is no longer alive now. I am free to do as I wish." When she didn't say anything, he started kissing her even more passionately, whispering, "Is there no way I can get you to accept my marriage proposal?" "My parents would never agree." "But they don't have to know." "Giuseppe, this is getting too complicated." "I got a deal on that black diamond." Jane Anne gasped with a small smile and shook her head. "No, you didn't." "Yes. You have no idea how much it's worth." "How much?" "Think of your parents' salaries for a year." "Yes…" "And now multiply it by ten." "I don't believe that you would spend so much for me." "You said you wished you had that diamond. It's the biggest black diamond, known to the world and it will soon be yours, if…" "If?" "You marry me." Jane Anne looked frustrated as she said, "I…I will have to think about it. You know my sister is married to a Mikaelson." "You can convince her to leave her husband and join our alliance."

"I don't think she would do that…" "Not even if her old best friend Kaleb asks her?" "Kaleb? You have spoken to him?" "I made him an offer. He is with us, now. Against the Mikaelsons and when the time comes, they will all be brought down. My family will lead the Mafia community in New Orleans and in Mystic Falls. I do wish that your family doesn't have to suffer for it, which is why I ask that you speak to your sister and get her to leave her husband." "And what about my parents?" "They will have no choice but to follow me when Mikael will be destroyed. I will take over as President of the Board." "Okay, but…" "But?" "It is possible that Sophie might still refuse to get out of this marriage." Giuseppe sighed and added, "Then you can understand that I will have no choice but to…" "No. She will leave him." "I hope so." He kissed her hands and said, "Our time will come." "How much do your sons know about this?" "Just that you are my business partner in taking down the Mikaelsons." "Just your business partner?" Jane Anne asked with a smirk as they ended up kissing again.

…

Davina went over to Cami and Elijah who were sitting in the waiting room and asked, "Is Klaus in love with her?" Cami frowned for a moment and said, "I know that they have been getting closer for the past couple of weeks, but they have some problems too." "Well, I was just asking." "Why?" "I saw Klaus crying and kissing her a moment before." Cami couldn't help but show a small smile, at the thought of telling Hayley about this when she would wake up. "You keep an eye on them." Cami informed Davina and she nodded. "She is a wonderful girl. I wish my brother could appreciate her for who she is." Elijah commented and kissed Cami happily. "Yes, I wish that too. She wants to go to college now. She has finished high school." "I will speak to my father and see to it that she enrolls somewhere to study whatever she wants. A break from this family drama might be what she needs." "It is what we all need." Cami responded with a sad smile on her face, as Elijah pulled her closer to him. "Do you want to talk to me about something?" "No." "Then why do I get the feeling that you might be hiding something?"

"I am not hiding anything…" "Camille, if this is about Gia, I can assure you that…" "No, it's not. I mean, not really, but I…" "But?" His eyes looked worried for her and Cami thought for a couple of moments before remembering Hayley's advice, about telling her husband the truth if they hope for a bright future together. "I…I have something…I don't even know how to say this to you." Elijah took her hand in his and whispered, "Whatever it is, you can rest assured that I want to know about it." "Gia and I have things in common." "I surely hope not your personality." Cami smiled at the comment and shook her head. "No, of course not. Let's' just say…the same passion for a certain musical instrument." Elijah frowned but Camille decided to tell him the whole story, starting with the memory of Gia destroying her first violin, up to the moment when she told him of the violin she had been hiding in her room."

She was waiting nervously and could feel herself gasping as he said, "I feel absolutely repulsed by this." Cami's mouth opened and she felt her heart breaking but then he continued by saying, "I wish that you had told me about this earlier." A wife smile appeared on her face as she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and responded, "I was scared, and how Uncle Kieran wants me to…" "I have to say that I don't really care what your uncle wants from this marriage. You are my wife and it is you and I who get to decide, not him." They looked at one another before he asked slowly, "Are there anymore secrets I should know about?" "No." "Good. Then I am eagerly waiting the moment we return home so you can show me this violin of yours, and if you want…I can help you practice." "You would let me play?" Cami asked, shocked, but he was even more shocked by her question. "Why would you think that I wouldn't let you play?" "Because I…" She didn't even know how to say this. "Camille…" "No, it is alright." "No, it is not. I want you to know that I have grown feelings for you, and I would gladly encourage anything you want to do in your life, as my wife."

He had always been good to her, and Cami realized as she looked at him in the eyes, that maybe this was the happiness she was unknowingly searching for throughout her life. She leaned her head on his chest and breathed in deeply, closing her eyes and feeling his hand wrap around her. She couldn't be happier that she had been forced into this marriage. It had made her life easier and happier and she never wanted to go back to living with her uncle. She wanted to stay with Elijah. She wanted him to love her, and for her to love him in return. She wanted them to start their own little family together. "She's awake!" Davina exclaimed and Cami opened her eyes, realizing that she was talking about Hayley. The whole family headed over to the room and waited outside the door, as they watched Hayley's eyes wonder to Klaus. He caressed her face with a gentle smile on his face. "Little wolf." He whispered and kissed her cheek. Hayley continued to look at him, but her eyes were not showing any happiness. Klaus sighed and turned to his family, giving them a nod for some privacy. It was time that they sorted things out.

"I saw you…" she whispered but Klaus placed a finger on her lips, saying, "I can assure you, love that there was nothing going on between us. I would never lie to you this way. I would never keep something like this from you. Caroline was just a passing face in my life. It is you who are my wife and it is you who…" He couldn't find the words to say it as he saw that her eyes looked eager to hear whatever he had to say. As he pictured himself kissing her lips, earlier, Klaus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, deciding to do this one step at a time. This was too much for him already. He couldn't handle his emotions around this girl. She brought out a side of him, Rebekah always used to. Touching her forehead, and then moving his hand down through her curls, he whispered, "I am sorry for what I have put you through, but you're alright now, love. You're alright." Hayley nodded, but whispered, "What were you doing with the girl you used to sleep around with?" "Trust me, little wolf, nothing was going on. She was there and we engaged in conversation because we used to know one another." "I was told that she left for Mystic Falls." Klaus nodded and said, "And now she is back as the wife of a Salvatore brother." "What?" "She is the wife of Giuseppe's son." "What have you told her?" Hayley asked, trying to get up but Klaus pushed her back down. "You need to relax."

"No. You need to tell me what you told her about our family." "Nothing, little wolf. She known nothing aside from the fact that I am not married to a beautiful woman, as my brothers are married too." Hayley scoffed and looked away. "You really think that if you become a charmer with me, I'm going to let you off the hook?" Klaus frowned and answered, "I wouldn't say that, but you shouldn't think that you are off the hook either, love. We will need to speak about you and taxies. You are no longer driving, unless you're with me." "I was not driving. I was in the backseat." "Very well, let me reformulate that. "You will no longer find yourself in any vehicle unless you're with me. Have I made myself clear?" Hayley let a small giggle escape her mouth as she shook her head, saying, "You can't do that." "Yes, I can." He responded with the same smile on his face. Her hand slipped in his and Klaus looked at her face, as she asked, "Were you worried about me?" She was hopeful and at that moment, Klaus remembered her confessing her love for him at this exact hospital. "Yes, I was." Klaus responded but seeing the look on her face, he realized that answer didn't satisfy her. He kissed her hands tenderly, and whispered, "You will be able to leave soon. You need to be healthy enough to attend your own birthday party tonight." Hayley blushed and asked, "Birthday?" Klaus raised his eyebrow and told her, "June 6th rings a bell? It's tomorrow. Oh no, little wolf, don't tell me that you have forgotten your own birthday." Hayley laughed and shook her head. "No! Of course not! I am just surprised that you remembered." Klaus winked at her before saying huskily, "I shall check with Doctor Stevens. Your parents are waiting outside." Getting up, he left.

…

"You need to know that he really was worried about you today." Cami whispered as she helped Hayley with her dress in her room. Hayley rolled her eyes and said, "I still can't believe that Mikael would go through all of this trouble for my birthday. He doesn't like me." "I know that you still hold a grudge against him for that beating, but, he is changing for the better and you might have Esther to thank for that. Your parents are downstairs too. Besides, Mikael thinks that the Salvatores will crash the party tonight. He purposely didn't invite them to piss them off." "Klaus said that Caroline is now married to one of Giuseppe's sons." "Yes, that's true. I guess that we will see her tonight." "Yes. And I will have a little word with her." Hayley snapped and Cami looked at her, surprised. "What has gotten into your panties?" "Just a little reminder that she should stay away from my husband." Cami laughed and said, "I think that kiss from him might have flipped your mind a little, like you're under a love spell." "Wait! What kiss?" Hayley asked, facing her as Cami finally managed to put on diamonds on her neck.

Hayley was wearing a sleeveless silver dress, and her hair was up, leaving small strands to fall. "Davina said that he saw Klaus kissing you while you were in the coma." "On the cheek?" Hayley asked, her heart beating faster and faster. Cami frowned and shook her head. "No, on the lips." "On the lips?" She thought it was some kind of mistake, or some people pulling a joke on her. "Yes. What did you think happened? He is your husband. Naturally he would kiss you on your lips. He thought that he was going to lose you." Hayley bit her lip to hide a smile that came on her face, as she thought about how sweet he has been acting towards her. It was possible…that he might be returning her feelings, but he was scared, and he was broken after Rebekah's death. Cami made her look at her and said, "Hey, you know that Klaus wouldn't cheat on you, right?" "Why would you say that?" "Because I think he has already made it clear that he has deep feelings for his wife, meaning you. Caroline means nothing to him, trust me. And…" "And what?" Hayley asked, seeing the smile on Cami's face. "I think that he might have a little surprise for you tonight. It is your birthday, after all."

She was smiling from ear to ear when she and Cami walked down the stairs, to be greeted by their husbands. Sophie and Finn were awkwardly dancing, as Davina and Kol were just talking. Elijah took Cami's hand with a smile, kissed her gently on her lips, so everyone could see that they have moved on seriously in their relationship. Hayley blushed as she saw Klaus' eyes roaming all over her body with a small smile on his face. He held out his hand and she took it, gladly. "You are absolutely exquisite, little wolf." He pressed his lips against her ear as they started dancing. "Thank you." "Happy Birthday." "It is not my birthday just yet. At midnight you may tell me." "That's in an hour, love." "I am sure you can wait." She continued teasing him. She was excited because of what Cami told her. Klaus had kissed her lips…and had made sure to do it while she couldn't feel or see anything. She pressed her lips together, as she continued to look into his eyes and move along with the music. Her head was on his shoulder in a couple of moments, and he pulled her closer to him. "I have a present for you." He said softly. Hayley showed him a smile, pulling her head back to look at him. "There is only one thing that I want." "And what is that?" She touched her lips and whispered, "I know what happened while I was in that coma."

His blood froze as the smile slipped from his face. "Love, I…" "I want this, and I don't want you to be afraid of what might happen if we…take the next step." Hayley cupped his cheeks and said firmly, "I love you, Klaus. I do. And I know that you are falling for me too." When he didn't say anything, she told him, "That is what I want for my birthday. I want to feel your lips against mine. I want you to let go of your fear, and to let yourself love me, just as I love you." Her words were moistening up his heart. Brushing his finger against her cheek, he replied, "I need to see my father. The Salvatores are here." "But Klaus…" "You do not need to worry. You're here and I am alongside you. We will talk at midnight." He promised her before pressing a kiss on her neck, making her moan, as her hands roamed through his curls. Hayley watched as he walked away from her. She was not disappointed. She felt that there was a chance. He didn't deny the love he held for her. "Hayley!" She turned around and smiled as she saw her mother and her father standing there, with wine in their glasses, coming forward to her.

"How are you? My God!" Annabelle hugged her tightly. "Mom, I am fine." "That cab driver and the one who was driving the truck will not get away too easy. I am pressing charges." Jack informed her. "Dad, you don't have to do that." "I have to protect my daughter from any harm, and I don't want to see you in vehicles any longer." Hayley rolled her eyes and pressed her hands on her hips. "Now you are starting to sound like Klaus!" "That young man takes very good care of you and I am glad he does. You need someone like him in your life. To be honest, I am starting to like him more than I ever liked Jackson for you." Jack responded. "You have to say that because Mikael is your partner." "Not necessarily." Jack looked over Hayley's shoulder and saw Giuseppe Salvatore, shocking the crowd, with Stefan, Damon, Caroline and Katherine joining him. "He is up to something. He didn't come to visit. Hasn't he done enough?" Annabelle growled and Hayley turned around and frowned when she saw Caroline. "Excuse us, my dear. We will see you at midnight." Annabelle kissed her cheek and she and Jack moved away.

...

She was feeling lonely, at her own so-called birthday party. Mikael had not even bothered to speak to her that night. It just showed Hayley that she wasn't the center of this party. The Salvatores were, and they weren't even invited. She decided to just look around at the many paintings in display on the walls of the mansion. Some…she had never seen before. And then she remembered his Art Room, the place where only Rebekah had been allowed to enter, and watch him paint. Hayley shook her head with sadness. She wanted to be there for him, but he was making it so hard for her. He wouldn't let her in. Just when she thought that all hope for this evening was to be gone, Klaus came forth and put his hands on her waist, startling her. Hayley turned around and tried smiling at him, as he pulled her up the stairs. "Wait. Where are we going?" she asked as she saw that there were only ten minutes left until midnight, and ten minutes until she would be 23. When Klaus didn't answer her, she started to get ticked off.

Before she knew it, they were in the West Wing, when he stopped her. Hayley had an idea about what he wanted to do, as he had given her several hints but she couldn't. Not after all that she had been through today. "Klaus, I really can't…" He frowned at her and asked, "What do you mean you can't?" "I can't do this with you. I am…I know we have shared many intimate moments since…Rebekah's death but I…" Klaus shook his head and said, "Who said anything about sharing intimate moments? Come with me." He pulled at her hand again and Hayley gasped as she saw him opening the door to his Art Room, letting her in. "Are you sure?" she asked in a whisper. "Go on. There is a surprise waiting inside." Klaus murmured and she finally took the step. It was the first time she was entering this room and was actually allowed to be there. Her hand was on her mouth in shock as she gazed at the many portraits of her, painted by him. "When did you…? Since when…?" She was lost for words as she looked around at the many things she was doing in these portraits like reading, writing, smiling, watering a plant, gazing out the window, and sleeping. Klaus wrapped his hands around her and swayed her back and forth as his lips sucked on her earlobe. "Are you enjoying your birthday present?" he murmured.

"I am glad that it's not jewelry." Hayley said, turning in his arms and he smirked, remembering the night before dinner with his parents, when he tried to win her over with diamonds. She had told him that she preferred presents which came straight from the heart and this was exactly what she wanted. Hayley cupped his cheeks and whispered, "Thank you." At that moment, Klaus looked up at the clock as it chimed midnight and Hayley blushed as she saw the seductive smile on his face. "Happy Birthday, my love." He said to her before leaning over and catching her lips in his, in a very warm and yet passionate kiss. She graciously accepted it, as he pulled her up in his arms, her legs getting wrapped around his waist, and he headed them over to the mattress he had specially laid out for them there, before the party. She moaned lightly with a smile on her face as his lips traveled from her neck to her stomach. Knowing that he was finally making her his, he pulled the sheets over them and made love to her as passionately as possible.

 **A/N: Klayley finally had their kiss! I know you guys have been waiting for it for a long while now but I had to wait for the perfect moment when it would happen. Yes, Giuseppe and Jane Anne. He is 45 and she is 30. Huge age difference but he doesn't care about that, and Jane Anne is desperate to find a husband. We will cover more of the Salvatores in the next chapter, as the party is not finished.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	19. Power Or Loyalty

**Answering Sophia's questions: You have guessed their ages. Lol, Stefan really is 23 and Damon is 25. Caroline is 20 and Katherine is 22. As for Kaleb, he is 25, Sophie's age. Mikael is 50 years old and Esther is 48. Yes, Mikael is older than Giuseppe. **

**In the previous chapter of Corrupted Souls, Sophie had found out about Finn's new drug addiction, while Klaus had to deal with Hayley in a coma at the hospital. The situation of the Salvatore Mafia family had been revealed, as well as Giuseppe's hidden romance with Jane Anne Deveraux, after his wife's death. Cami told Elijah about her violin. After being informed by Cami that Klaus had kissed her while she was unconscious, Hayley used her birthday party as a chance for her to get closer to her husband. Finally, Klaus revealed to Hayley his feelings, through a great birthday surprise.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Klaus and Hayley are finally at peace with one another, as the Art Room shows a portrait of Hayley indicating something of their future together. Sophie tries once again to persuade Finn to renounce his addiction to his newfound drugs, after which Jane Anne shows up at the party with a well-structured plan to get Sophie to renounce on her marriage, using Kaleb as bait. Mikael and Giuseppe have a showdown, in which Giuseppe reveals his true intentions of coming to town. Just when happiness finally hits her, Camille receives startling news from her uncle, which puts her in a difficult spot. At last, as Klaus makes Hayley a proposal, Sophie's life is turned upside down by something else other than her sister.**

* * *

She was laying her head back against the soft mattress, completely naked, with Klaus on top, pleasing her. "You're making love to me again?" she asked in a whisper and with a smile on her face, as he moved his head up to hers."As many times as my wife wishes." He responded and kissed her passionately again. He couldn't get enough of her. She was beautiful, smart, witty and seductive as he was, passionate, and there was a spark in her with enlightened him, so unlike many of the other girls he used to be with. Klaus never imagined that he would finally get the opportunity to kiss a woman's lips, but he wanted to do it with her. He didn't want to push her away, to protect himself from getting sentimental anymore. He craved her, all of her, not just her body. Hayley was his wife, and he was planning on treating her this way. He rocked in her, keeping her lips covered with his as she moaned in pleasure. Finally, finding his release for the second time, he climaxed as she did along with him. She was smiling from ear to ear, when he pulled her into his embrace and covered them with the sheets, on the mattress. "Do you like your birthday?" he whispered in her ear and she giggled. "It's the best one I've had so far." "Ah, you're too kind." "No, I'm serious. You couldn't have offered me a better gift."

Hayley raised herself and planted a long and simple kiss on his lips, cupping his cheeks. She felt him kiss her back right away. Pulling back, Hayley laid her head on his chest as he pulled her closer. "I'm glad you let go of your fear for me." "Take it easy, for my own sake, little wolf. I am still new at this." "At what?" "Having a normal relationship." Hayley bit her lip as she remembered everything Rebekah at told her about him on their wedding night. "It's fine. I am not that used to it either." Klaus scoffed and whispered, "You had Jackson." "I know but…it still didn't feel right to me." Klaus smiled, happy to hear that, as they laid there in silence, gazing up at the portraits he had of her, on the ceiling and on the floor. "You should put Rebekah like this everywhere." She whispered and crushed her forehead over his cheek, as he felt all of the energy being drained from him. He felt guilty all of a sudden. He felt like he was betraying his sister, by highlighting Hayley's portraits throughout that room.

"It was supposed to be our room." Klaus whispered and Hayley looked up at him and asked, "What?" "Nothing." "Tell me. Are you regretting this?" Hayley asked him with fear in her heart. Klaus turned on one side to face her and brought her hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss on it. "I never want to hear you say that. Do you understand me, little wolf? I want you." Hayley smiled a little before saying, "But something is clearly bothering you and whatever it may be, I want to know." Klaus hesitated before replying, "I keep thinking about Rebekah." "It's natural to have thoughts like that. You must miss her terribly." She kissed his forehead as he growled, "The man who brought her death upon us is at this party…uninvited." Klaus clenched his fists and Hayley shook her head. "Hey, listen to me. Don't do anything you will later regret. I know you hate this man, but…" "He ruined my family and I am going to ruin his, one way or another." "But Caroline is part of his family now…" "I don't care about her!" Klaus snapped and stood up from the mattress, his hands shaking with anger. Hayley stood up too, covering her breasts with the sheets and she placed her hands on his face.

"I know you hate this family for what it has done but we will move past this. We are survivors, aren't we? Don't worry about it for now, Klaus. Believe me, I want to get rid of them as much as you do. After what they have done, they have no right to be in our city. When the right time comes, we will melt them, but now is not the time." Klaus couldn't help but smile at her. "I cannot believe you can talk murderously, little wolf." She smirked as she wrapped herself around him, seductively. "Well, then it looks like you still have much to learn about me. Your family is my family now too and I want to do whatever it takes to protect it." He kissed her long and hard before pressing his lips to her neck and murmuring, "And where will the fun last if we murder them so quickly?" Hayley smiled and replied, "Maybe when this is all over…we can finally talk about us…about our future little family." Klaus pulled back and saw that she was touching her stomach and looking at him adoringly. "You want to…?" he asked and Hayley nodded. "I know we will, soon…and I don't want to push you, but I want to have your babies." She admitted to him. "How many would you like?" he asked her and Hayley rolled her eyes. "Does the number matter? The very thought about having child offers me excitement. I want to have children."

"And what of your dream?" Klaus asked her, in a sadder tone, as he remembered what Doctor Stevens had told him while she was unconscious. "What are you talking about?" Hayley asked, as she wrapped her hands around his neck and he had his own hands around her waist, pulling her closer until her breasts were touching his chest. "Your dream of becoming a doctor. I don't want to take that chance away from you, Hayley." She shrugged and said, "Maybe I can do both." "No, you cannot." "What do you mean?" "If you have children, you will need to stay by their side. Both parents need to be able to raise them." "And we can…" "If you become a doctor, your patients will need you…but so will your children." Klaus was getting angrier and Hayley could notice that. "I just don't understand why you have to bring this up now. Klaus, I thought that we were going to put all problems behind us and just focus on my night, our special night." "I know…but I also know that when you are offered a good job, you will leave." His nostrils were flattering now in anger. She needed to understand that he would not sit back and watch as she left his life, after they have had children. "Klaus, what are you talking about? I don't understand. I am not going anywhere. I am right here." She told him. "You say that now, but the moment you get yourself your dream…I will no longer mean anything in comparison to it."

 _"Mr. Mikaelson, you need to understand that your wife has passion in what she does here. She may be just a part-time nurse around here but the patients adore her. She has talent and could grow with experience. If she works hard, she has a shot at taking my job around here."_ He thought long and hard about Doctor Stevens' words, before saying, "You do know that Doctor Stevens is leaving the hospital, do you not?" Hayley looked shocked. "What? What do you mean she is leaving? And what about all the patients? She can't leave them behind!" Hayley was outraged at this news, trying to think about what to say. "But what does this have to do with our conversation? Klaus, honesty, remember? You told me that you would be honest with me and I would be honest with you." He pulled her even closer and kissed her again, gentler this time and with a little desperation. "While you were in that coma, she told me that she had been transferred to Canada because they paid better. She said that you are a good candidate to take her job." "They want me to be the new doctor?" Hayley gasped. "Nothing is official yet." Klaus responded. "I thought you would be happy for me, if I get this job." "Yes of course, your dream come true, little wolf." Klaus growled. "What is your problem? I can't understand!" she almost yelled at him.

"What happens when you take this job and the patients there will become your number one priority? What happens when I crave, when I need you at home. You want us to have children. What happens when your children want you at home and you cannot be there for him. I am not about to hire any babysitter for them , since I will need to be working on my future cover job as a lawyer and…" "You see how selfish you are being? You want to get a job, but you see me as the woman who has to stay home, clean it and raise your children. I am entitled to work if that is what I want to do. We are not in the 19th century anymore, Klaus." He looked at her for a moment before asking, "What happens when you will want to transfer as well? For more money?" "I am not interested in being a doctor for the money! I belong to a very rich family and now I am even richer thanks to yours. You think that money is what interests me? I blame Doctor Stevens for being a coward and leaving when the going gets tough but if I become a doctor at this hospital, I am not leaving it and my patients for all the money in the world!" Klaus nodded and replied, "I sure hope that is your plan, little wolf." Hayley laughed and clapped her hands together. "So, this is your problem now, isn't it? That is why you are acting out. You are afraid that I'll leave you."

Klaus kept on holding her and responded, "Yes. I have never been in a relationship before. Forgive me for actually trying to…I have already lost my sister. I can't lose you, little wolf!" he growled and smashed his lips against hers again, trying to prove a point. Hayley kissed him back, softer and when they pulled back from each other, Hayley brushed her finger over his stubble and said, "You won't lose me. I will never abandon you or our future children. You have to learn to trust me on that. I am your wife and I will forever be your wife because that is what I choose to be, and nothing less. Don't be angry, please." Klaus nodded and whispered, "Forgive me. It is your birthday." "It's fine. I am just glad to hear you love me that much that you won't accept to let me go." She smiled and nuzzled into his neck to offer him comfort. "I love you, Klaus. Have faith in that." He took a deep breath, accepted her warmth and decided against going further on the subject. "Forgive me." He whispered in her ear again and Hayley just shook her head. "No worries. I just want to spend the rest of this night with you." "Speaking of which, I believe that we should we heading back to the party." Hayley looked at the clock and gasped as she realized it was past one o'clock. Her parents were expecting her at midnight. "You're right. Let's go."

…

They twirled on the dance floor until they were truly tired. Finn searched her face but Sophie continued to pretend like something or someone else was capturing her attention. "It is quite a festive party! Too bad the Salvatores had to ruin Hayley's birthday with their presence." He commented and Sophie simply nodded at his statement. Finally, when the music was reaching its end, he asked her, "Aren't you going to smile tonight?" "I don't see any reason why I should." "Well, there are people here who are very interested about the love life of the married couples in this family, so I suggest that we put on good faces, so no one would know that our marriage is already crumbling when it had barely started." What he said, hit her hard and Sophie could feel her eyes watering. "We wouldn't be in this situation if you had listened to me yesterday morning." They stopped dancing as everyone else clapped for the end of the music. Sophie turned her back on him and headed to a table, sitting down with her hands on her forehead. She was starting to feel sick for some unknown reason. She felt him taking a seat next to her. One hand was put on her back and the other was trying to take her hand in his.

"Sophie…" "Now you use my name." she took her hand away from under his grip and Finn frowned. "What is wrong with me using your name?" "Because when you use my name you want something from me and from the way you are trying that sweet voice of yours, you want me to just forget that you are into this drug business…" At that moment he pressed his lips on hers and stopped her from talking as she heard some people snapping photos. She kissed him back and then they pulled away from each other as Sophie whispered, "This is what you want? You want us to play a role just so people can see you as the modern husband?" "I didn't kiss you because I had to look impressive…I kissed you because I want you to accept my decisions." "Why would you care if I accept them or not?" Sophie asked and Finn brought her closer to him, rubbing their noses together. "You know why…since your kiss at the hospital, I…" Sophie immediately understood what he was saying and felt her heart racing as she grabbed his hand and put it on her face. "If that is how you feel about me, then let it go, Finn. Do me this favor and let it go." "Can't you see? I can't do that?" "Why? What are you so afraid of?"

"I am afraid. It is the way I am and I am doing this because it pleases me." "It ruins you." Finn shook his head. "I knew you wouldn't understand." "What is there to understand? You are in pain, mourning Rebekah and the huge loss of your family, and you have decided to consummate toxic substances which can ruin you. Please, don't make this harder than it has to be. If you need counseling, we can always go to a psychologist and…Cami might be able to help too." "No! I don't need anyone's help. I have found a way to deal with this my way and you are not going to stop me. For the sake of our marriage, I hope that you will learn to respect that and not say a word to anyone." Sophie rolled her eyes and before she could say anything, she caught someone standing and talking with Giuseppe Salvatore. She had a smile on her face…her own sister. How did she know the head mobster of Mystic Falls? Putting down her drink, she stood up and was prepared to go to her sister when he placed a hand on her waist and pulled her to him, coughing a little. Sophie shook her head and asked, "A little sick perhaps?" "It's just a cough." "Yeah, and I wonder why that happens." "Sophie…" "Look, I really don't want to see you right now. I want to go and see my sister so if you'll excuse me…"

She left his side before she could say something which would anger him even more. "Jane Anne!" she called out and both Giuseppe and Jane Anne turned to her. She had her hands crossed over her chest, staring at them both when her sister excused herself and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the Salvatore Mafia Leader. "What is it?" she asked her when they finally reached a private area where they could talk. Sophie's mouth dropped. "What do you mean? You looked like you were flirting with that guy? Are you crazy?" Jane Anne shook her head. "Sophie, don't be ridiculous. I was just making conversation." "What are you doing here? You hate these types of events." "Yes, but I decided to come here to support my parents." After a moment of silence, Jane Anne whispered, "I have been in contact with Kaleb, you know. He really misses you and wants you to join him in France." "What?" "That is what he said to me. He enjoys it there now, and he wants you to join him." Sophie ran her hand through her hair and said, "I know what he is trying to do and I don't think that it is going to work. Kaleb is my past. I am married now and I am loyal to my husband." Jane Anne nodded for a moment. "But you don't love him." "Are you encouraging what me and Kaleb had?" "You still have it. You just don't realize it."

"Jane Anne, that is not true." She shrugged. "Maybe you feel some sort of guilt for now, but with Kaleb, you were not forcing yourself into anything." "I don't understand what is happening with your judgement. Not too long ago, you were encouraging my marriage with Finn and now it looks like you want me out and to go back to Kaleb. What is going on?" "I simply love you and don't want to see you get hurt." "Hurt? How could I get hurt?" Jane Anne thought long and hard about what to say when an idea popped into her mind. "You have seen what Kol Mikaelson did to Davina, and she is younger than you. What is going to stop Finn from lashing out?" "He wouldn't do that to me. I trust him." "Okay. Well, if there is one thing you should know is that I am looking out for your best interests and Kaleb said that if you do not agree to go and see him in France, he will come back here. He misses you very much." Sophie rubbed her temples and then whispered, "Even if I wanted to leave my husband, how can I do that? It is our family's alliance with the Mikaelsons, Jane Anne." "And what if our family got itself a better alliance with some other powerful Mafia members?"

Sophie noticed that Jane Anne's eyes were diverting to Giuseppe and she got the picture right away. "What are you talking about? You want us to let go of the Mikaelsons and align with the Salvatores instead. Do Mother and Father know about this? This is why you're pushing Kaleb on me?" "Mother and Father don't know about this yet. And as my sister, you can't tell anyone about this." "What makes you think that I won't?" "Sophie, love is not what brought you into this marriage and I am sure that love is not going to keep you in it either. You are going to do what is right for our family. Right now, we are negotiating your protection and you will be offered protection as well as our parents' if you leave Finn and stay with Kaleb." "But I…" Jane Anne grabbed her hand roughly and hissed. "Listen to me! Don't mess this up. This is about our family and family comes above all. Kaleb treats you better than any Mikaelson ever will. For all of our sakes, you need to make a decision. I will be waiting for it." With that, her sister walked away from her, making her feel dizzy for the first time that evening.

…

Giuseppe was helping himself to porridge when he felt him behind him. "Mikael! Such a pleasure to finally see you here!" he exclaimed, but Mikael smirked and shook his head. "It is a surprise to see you here, considering your little nest happens to be in Mystic Falls. What happened? Gotten tired of that city and came to join a greater one?" Giuseppe shook his head and whispered, "I can assure you that Mystic Falls is fine and dandy even now without me there, or my sons." "They do look a lot like you." "Nah…Stefan takes most of his wisdom and looks from his mother." "I heard about Caroline, and that she is now his wife." "Yes, the poor dear came to see us after your son has been maltreating her around here. I have no tolerance for such men and seeing what another daughter-in-law of yours has had to endure, being married to that Kol…I should say that they deserve better discipline than the one you offer them." "My sons happen to be self-educated. I simply guided them half the way and I find them capable of being able to decide their future for themselves, unlike yours…"

"And that is why you have prepared forced marriages between them? My sons were allowed to marry the women they love, as opposed to yours." "No. I can assure you that they wouldn't have walked down that aisle if they felt nothing for these women." "And how fortunate that these women happen to be related to your partners. So unlike the Mikael Mikaelson I once knew and befriended. You always used to say that you like to get things done and accomplish things all on your own. What happened to that man? Isn't he capable of guiding his family alone through all the dangers? Does he really need allies in order to make it work and show himself as the biggest Mafia Leader in New Orleans history? Your competition awaits you. Me." Giuseppe said and pointed at himself, right before he took a sip of his drink. "I think that it would be in all of our best interests if you would kindly step aside and give back the money you had taken from me. Then, I suggest you leave my city before anyone gets hurt." The two started laughing once they saw the looks on each other's faces. "What money?" Giuseppe asked.

"Do not play dumb with me here, Giuseppe and I wouldn't mind informing the police that you have stolen money hidden in your home." Mikael warned and Giuseppe couldn't help but laugh again. "You really want to get the police involved in this? Are you that desperate?" "I am warning you that if you lay a hand on anyone who is in my family, I will…" Giuseppe put his hand up before Mikael could finish. "I am here so I can have a good time and the money you lost to me...you can't get it back, so why don't you just let go of your pride and stop telling your partners that you rightfully own them, so they can work their asses off to get the money back for you. Say goodbye to those 500.000 $. I know you don't want the money per-say, Mikael. You want revenge. That is what you're after. You want to get back at me. Give it a rest and find some other way, if you wish, but for all of our sakes', I suggest you let it go, unless you want the police to know about your dirty work. By the way, I am really sorry to hear about your daughter. She was an exquisite beauty. Stefan would have had her hand if you had only played nicely that poker night and we would have remained friends. Such a shame she had to meet her end this way. Truly, it does break my heart."

Mikael continued to remain still, frowning as Giuseppe patted his shoulder. "And I don't think that you surprised me with the death of Casper." "Not even with the deaths of the Geralds?" "Richard and Adrianna were easy to fool. They were desperate and they wanted vengeance for not letting them on the Board. I offered them a deal they couldn't refuse. And you're right. They have been my spies around here. And now I know enough." Mikael wanted to respond but Giuseppe added, "Send my best regards to your daughter-in-law. It was a festive party, but I must retire, as will my sons and their wives." "Good riddance." Mikael muttered under his breath. Soon after, the party had ended, even with the return of Klaus and Hayley, from wherever they were.

…

The family was struggling in the morning, with the late partying from the other night. Cami smiled in her sleep, as she rolled over and saw him close to her on the bed. Leaning over, she pressed a kiss on his lips, waking him with a start but he relaxed when he saw that it was her. Their fingers intertwined as Elijah mumbled, "Good morning, Camille." "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asked him. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have." He rubbed her elbow gently as she rested her head on his chest. "I am afraid of the Salvatores' purpose here." She could feel Elijah's breathing stop for a moment and then resumed when he answered, twirling his fingers through her hair. "Father and I are going to take care of that. Giuseppe believes that he gets to come here and show us what he can do, but he has forgotten just how powerful our family is as well. We will show him." "I know that he says that he is here to visit but I don't believe him." "No one believes him. My father and he had a little chat last night. Apparently, Giuseppe threatened my father that if he sees anything he doesn't like, he will go to the cops and report dirty work from our Mafia group." "But how much does he know?" Cami asked. "He knows too much, due to the fact that my father and he were good friends once."

Cami shook her head and rested it against his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Why does it have to be this way? Why can't we all just live in peace for once? I am tired of wars and all of this is happening for a measly 500.000 $. Can't your father let it go?" Elijah sighed and replied, "It is not about the money, my dearest Camille. This is about the family honor Giuseppe has taken from us, not to mention that in Niklaus' mind, Giuseppe and his family are responsible for the death of Rebekah and Marcel." Cami had to stop herself from shedding tears at the mention of their names. She knew how much Elijah was still hurting on the inside. Who wouldn't hurt because of this? "I am saying that, if we don't stop this soon, more people are going to get hurt…and betrayed. I don't want that to happen to us." "What do you mean by betrayed?" "I fear that…war is going to tear this family apart. Some may decide to go on their separate ways and I don't want that to happen." "Then I promise you that it won't. The Mikaelson family sticks together always and forever." Elijah kissed her once more before saying, "I have something special planned for you today." The light on Cami's face reappeared.

He adored seeing her glowing with happiness and when he revealed that he was going to help her with her violin practice, she jumped into his arms and thanked him, with giggles and a glowing face. Cami was in the middle of practice when her phone started ringing and they had to stop. She groaned when she saw that it was her uncle. "I have to take this or he will never forgive me. I'll be back soon." Cami left Elijah's room and headed to her own, where she answered the call. "What is it?" _"Good morning to you too."_ "Good morning, uncle. Forgive me but I was busy…with my husband." _"Not for long."_ "What are you talking about?" _"Our family is pulling out of the alliance with the Mikaelsons. It would seem that aligning ourselves with the Salvatores will bring us a greater advantage. You are going to find a way to leave Elijah and…"_ "No!" Cami snapped with horror. _"What did you say?"_ "I said no! I am not going to abandon my marriage for some alliance that is no longer working. I am in love with Elijah and I am staying married to him. He is the one person who has made me truly happy for the first time in my life. If you think that I am going to throw all of that away…"

 _"You listen to me, you insolent little girl! The only reason I asked you to be the one to form an alliance through this marriage and not Gia was because she was not available. Now, I am going to ask you to step down from your position as wife and come back home."_ "What are you doing, Uncle? The Mikaelsons are never going to forgive you." _"As long as we are under the protection of the Salvatores, nothing is going to happen."_ "I don't believe that." _"You have always been afraid of consequences…"_ "Well, I am tired of having to pay the price for the decisions you make, Uncle! No more! As I recall, I am no longer Camille O'Connell. I am Camille Mikaelson and my loyalty stands with this family and especially alongside Elijah, my husband." _"How dare you!"_ "I am sorry, Uncle. But you said it yourself that I need to stand on my own two feet and that is exactly what I am doing. I don't agree with the decisions you are making in the name of our family and I will not follow them. I am standing alongside the Mikaelsons in this war and that is final." _"If you make this decision…you never come back. Sean is soon to return home because he understands his responsibilities, unlike you!_ "

"I am very happy for him, but you have never treated me as if I were a part of your family even though I have O'Connell blood from my father. I refuse to stand by you any longer. Goodbye, Uncle!" She hung up before he could respond to her. Cami placed her hand over her mouth in shock at what she had discovered. How could her family decide to break this alliance. What was happening to them? Was this exactly what Giuseppe was planning? He was planning to break the alliance between all of the New Orleans Mafia families and would tear them apart little by little. There was a knock on the door and Cami gasped as Elijah entered her room with a frown. "What has happened?" "Nothing." He took her hands in his and kissed them, saying, "You're shaking." Cami tried to put on a brave face and say, " No. It's just that my uncle tends to anger me very much. I can't really show him that and…" "Very well. Let us not talk about him any longer. I just had a thought." Cami smiled a little and asked, "What?" "I want you to move in with me." "Now?" "Whenever you wish. But I hope as soon as possible." "You want to share your bed with me?" Cami asked, feeling guilt in her heart that she could not say anything she had heard from her uncle. Did Mikael know? Elijah smiled and kissed her, saying, "Yes, of course." "Okay then." Cami whispered and hugged him tightly, closing her eyes.

…

Despite his father's disapproval, Klaus had asked Hayley late into the night to move into his room. The soft mattress touched her skin and at that moment, she felt his hands moving up her nightgown, taking it off and leaving her completely naked after removing her bra and her panties. Seeing him naked on top of her, made her realize that now, they couldn't keep themselves off of one another. He kissed her lips, right before moving down all the way to her pelvis, entering her and making love to her gently. "I love you." He said to her, making her heart swoon. "I love you too." She said, knowing how true it was. Hayley smiled in her sleep, as she felt his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder softly that morning. "Are you happy?" he asked her in a whisper. "Yes. But I will be happier with this whole thing with the Salvatores ends, Klaus. I don't think that I can take it if anything happens to you." He turned her towards him and the sun reflected in her eyes, as he told her, "I meant what I said. I avenge Rebekah's death if it is the last thing I do." Hayley nodded and caressed his stubble, saying firmly, "Just promise me that Giuseppe Salvatore doesn't come out of this whole thing alive." Klaus smirked and whispered, "His head will be delivered to you on a silver platter…little wolf."

"Are we talking murderous again?" Hayley asked with a smile as she bit her lip in delight. "Hmm. I like that side of you." "So, what is going to happen after this is over and we win?" Hayley asked, confidently. He looked at her serious and whispered, "I don't want you to get involved in this anymore that you are, Hayley." "Why not? What's the problem if I do?" "Love, it's dangerous, and I wish for you to be safe. That cannot happen if you…" "You think I am not one hundred percent prepared. Is that it?" "To be fair, love, you have not had an extensive training program." "Teach me then." "What?" She moved closer and ran her hand up and down his chest for effect. "I want you to teach me what I need to know. I am your murderous wife now, aren't I?" Klaus shook his head and replied, "That is not going to work on me, Hayley. I don't want you to get involved." "You are violating your own rule, Klaus." "What are you talking about?" "Rule Nr.12. A Mikaelson wife is to perfect her shooting abilities when it comes to using a gun to protect her husband or anyone in the family, as others will do for her." She smirked with delight as she saw his face drop.

"No. I believe those rules are a little redundant now, don't you think?" He started getting off the bed, ready to get into the shower. He didn't want to look at her face, because he knew what to expect. She would be angry at him, but he couldn't put her in danger this way. He just got her all to himself and he realized how insecure he felt…this was his first time…the first time he was in a relationship with a woman, not to mention that she was also his wife. He let the water run all over his body, as he closed his eyes and brushed through his hair. A second later, he felt a kiss on the side of his neck and he turned around to see her exquisite self, standing there, looking absolutely gorgeous. "Do you mind if I join you?" "Little wolf…" "I just want to have a pleasant morning with my husband. No more talk about the business, please. No more crimes, no more wars, no more plotting." She leaned her head on his chest as he embraced her. "As you wish." He said, wrapping her legs around him and pressing her against the wall as the water continued running over them. Making her moan the second his lips hit the side of her neck, along her jawline, he started making love to her for the fourth time since the other night. When he finished, he continued to press his lips onto her neck and murmured, "Please don't leave me…ever."

Hayley finally scoffed and pulled his head back. "Look at me." She said softly and their eyes met as she caressed his cheek. "You are my husband. I am not leaving you. I love you, do you understand? No matter what my choices will be in my future…I will not make a choice which will keep me away from you. I promise." She felt him calmer after her words. He turned off the water and silently got them out of the shower, wrapping towels around both of them. Hayley smiled when their eyes finally met and she asked softer, "Will you please teach me?" When he didn't respond, she sighed. "How hard can it be?" "What I taught you for my father's examination was child's play comparing this." "Really?" "Yes. My father's intention was not to kill you, only to test you." "I ended up with a bruise on my cheek and broken ribs which took a long time to mend." "What you experienced was small pain, which I took care of, but…you need to understand that I am not playing games here." "Who said I was?" "Hayley!" "I want to do something for you…for this family…" "I am not putting you in danger!" "Klaus…I will find a way to get involved with or without you. Do you want me to get involved as a skilled killer, or as your housewife?" she asked him with bitterness on the last word. "That is not fair, love." "Life is not fair."

Her eyes showed lots of determination, something which had made him fall in in love with her in the first place. "Very well. I shall train you, but there is little time." He said to her. "Don't worry! I happen to be a fast learner." "Yes that I know." She touched his cheek and added, "And this way, you will have someone to cover you while you're in action. I am your wife. You should trust me with that." Klaus chuckled and shook his head in amazement at her courage and this new rebellious side he was seeing to her. "Since when are you interested in murderous activities, little wolf? You told me that you were excluded from them almost all your life by your parents." "Almost." Hayley mumbled, looking away for one moment. She still hadn't told him. How could she tell him that she was not Marshall blood and that is the reason her parents tried to keep her away from this world? Klaus frowned as he watched her face flow with different emotions. "Have I said something wrong? Hayley?" She looked up and shook her head, kissing him. "No. Thank you for agreeing to do this." She realized she couldn't keep this secret from him forever. But how was she to know that he wouldn't tell Mikael? His father would be furious. Her family would suffer…and she did tell her parents…that she wouldn't tell anyone.

…

Sophie wrapped herself with some sheets as she got out of her bed that morning. She was absolutely frustrated with the way her husband was acting. She knew that he was probably into drugs that morning, when everyone was still sleeping. And her sister…Sophie covered her mouth with her hand as she let silent tears fall into the shower. How was she supposed to feel about this? About Kaleb wanting her back into his life? Sure, she always had some sort of complicated feeling for him, but despite his sweetness and care towards her, she always saw him as more of a brother. And how could Jane Anne tell her that Kaleb wanted her back, when he had made it clear the last time they saw each other that he wanted to move on, and when that kiss between them when she found out about her arranged marriage was just out of desperation? Everything her own sister had said the other night sounded absurd. She even had the nerve to say that their parents didn't know about the change in alliance. What was she supposed to do?

After getting out of the shower, she winced in pain and held her stomach as she felt something. She had felt it since the other night and Sophie thought that it was most likely the stress she was put into which was at fault here. Choosing to ignore it, she headed into his room and saw that he was still sleeping. She didn't know what had gotten into her when she stepped over to the drawer and pulled it open, seeing the box. But before she could reach out to it, his hand had grabbed hers and he was staring at her. "What are you doing here?" When she didn't answer, Finn sighed and said, "I don't want you coming here anymore. If I need you, I will come to you, is that understood?" There was fear in his eyes and Sophie could see just now his constant desperation to not lose that box of heroin. Feeling the pain in her stomach increasing, she slowly nodded and walked back to her room, all sorts of thoughts roaming inside of her mind. She had taken pills, but they didn't seem to be working. It wasn't her period, so what could possibly…Sophie gasped and rushed to the bathroom which belonged to Esther. She knew that she kept everything a woman could possibly need there.

With her hand shaking, Sophie grabbed a stick and gulped, knowing she had to try and find out if it was true or not. She locked herself in her own bathroom and did what had to be done. When the stick turned blue, she tried to hold back tears, as she realized what kind of fix she was put in. Her sister was trying to convince her to get back together with Kaleb, who apparently wanted them together again, and leave her husband, the man who was inducing into drugs and the man whose child she was now carrying.

 **A/N: At this point, Sophie's life is the most complicated of them all. Yes, she is carrying Finn's child and now with the new alliances Jane Anne told her about, she has to make a decision and choose a side. Hayley is still debating about whether or not she should tell Klaus now that they are together in all senses of the word, about her heritage. As for Cami, she has already chosen her side, and that is with the Mikaelsons, and not with the O'Connells. What do you think will happen next?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	20. Sweet Company

**Side Note: I know that a lot of you have been asking for more Kolvina interaction, and there will be just not for the next few chapters because there are more important things going on with the other pairings.**

 **Previously, in Corrupted Souls, Klaus and Hayley talked about the possibility of having children and how Hayley's dreams can be in the way of their happily ever after as a family. Sophie found out from Jane Anne that Kaleb wants her back, as she is planning on forming a new alliance with the Salvatores and wants her sister to leave her husband. Elijah decided to teach Cami how to play the violin, as Klaus accepted to get into intense training programs with Hayley. Finally, Sophie was shocked with the surprise that she is carrying the child of her drug-absorbed husband.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Sophie calls Jane Anne in order to reveals startling news to her, about the changes in her life. Klaus and Hayley begin their training together, as he continues noticing a disturbance in her. At another Board meeting, Mikael discovers the newest intentions of Kieran, to pull out of the alliance, disturbing the peace created by Elijah and Camille in their marriage. Meanwhile, Giuseppe informs his sons of his accomplishments at the party and reveals Jane Anne's true connection to him. Hayley and Caroline have a confrontation when they accidently meet in town, as Jane Anne tries to convince her parents of the alliance. Finally, Hayley confesses something to Klaus.**

* * *

She continued to look down at the stick, whose color had turned blue. Sophie covered her eyes with her hand and let a few tears drop onto her cheeks, in shock at what was happening. She was carrying his child…the child of Finn Mikaelson. On one hand, she was shocked, on the other, she was scared, and especially after the dangers Jane Anne had put her through by telling her the most horrific plan the other night at the party. Giuseppe Salvatore had caught her eyes for some reason and the way she was looking at him, Sophie thought of it to be very peculiar, not the mention the smile on her sister's face while speaking to the man who was considered this town's greatest enemy. Why was she finding it difficult to tell anyone about her sister's plans? Why couldn't she open up to Finn about the other night? Sophie shook her head, as she thought he was most likely in drugs. He was losing himself as a husband and as a member of his family. Pulling herself together, Sophie picked up her phone and called the only person she knew could help her at the moment, even though she didn't want to talk to her. The phone started ringing, but there was no answer for a couple of moments, until finally, she responded.

 _"Sophie! I was expecting your call."_ "Jane Anne, I have to tell you something." Sophie whispered and she heard her reply right away. _"If this is about what I told you at the party the other night, I think that it is better that we talk in person. There is more to it than that."_ Sophie stayed on the line for a moment and replied, "Yes. I want to talk to you about that in person too, but that is not why I called you." _"Then what is it? What has happened?"_ "Jane Anne, I think that I'm pregnant." There was silence on the line, until she could finally hear her voice. _"What do you mean you think you're pregnant? Have you done that test?"_ "Yes, of course I have. The stick is right here and it's blue. I am pregnant." _"Have you used protection?"_ Sophie sighed and shook her head, biting her lip. "I remember the night of the wedding, we were both drunk and I guess…I have not had my period for a while now either." _"You can't get clearer results than that. You are pregnant."_ "Are you mad?" Sophie asked, a little outraged, as she heard her huff through the phone. _"No, of course not. Why would I be mad? Congratulations. Have you told him yet?"_ "No. You're the first one I am telling."

 _"Good, then it's settled. I want you to meet me at Rousseau's in an hour. We need to talk about this seriously."_ "Finn is not going to let me leave the house." _"You tell him that your sister wants to see you. He can't say no when it comes to your own family, Sophie. Don't be ridiculous."_ "What about the baby?" Sophie touched her stomach again, as Jane Anne replied, _"I don't want to continue talking about this on the phone with you. You do as I told you and come to Rousseau's. There is more about last night that I need to tell you."_ "Have you told Mom and Dad yet?" There was a moment of silence until Sophie could hear the answer she feared. _"No."_ "Then what are you doing, Jane Anne? Why are you doing it?" _"I am doing it for our family. Mom and Dad will know soon, and Kaleb is in on this too."_ "Kaleb is coming back?" Sophie gasped. _"Not a word about the baby to anyone. I will be waiting in an hour."_ Jane Anne said and ended the call afterwards. Sophie looked over at her phone and bit her lips. How could she keep this a secret…from anyone?

She did as she was asked. After eating her breakfast, along with Cami, Elijah, Hayley, Klaus, Kol, Davina and Esther, Sophie went back to her room and changed into comfortable clothes. Her door opened and Finn walked inside, his eyes puffy and red. Sophie couldn't bear to look at him, so she didn't. Continuing to search for her bag, she didn't notice when he stepped in front of her and pulled her towards him. "Finn, I…" But he stopped her in mid-track, kissing her lips softly. The gentle ways in which he handled her at that moment, crushed her heart. She was betraying him. Pulling away, he caressed her cheek and said, "I am sorry for this morning. It won't happen again." Surprise came on her face, as she took a step back and whispered, "I need to see my sister." "But can we please talk about this? Sophie?" He was being kind to her now…but it was too late. Sophie knew that. Shaking her head slowly, she stepped over to him and kissed his cheek. "Goodbye." "Sophie, wait! What are you doing?" He grabbed her hand and stopped her. She knew that he sensed something odd about that kiss. There was fear in his eyes. She thought of only one way in which she could calm him down. Stepping over, she pressed a firm kiss on his mouth. He kissed her back and roamed his hands on her body. Afraid that he would take things further under the influence of these drugs, Sophie stepped back and walked out of the room.

Rousseau's was not opened yet, although it should have been by this morning hour. However, Sophie sensed that whatever Jane Anne had to talk to her about, it had to remain between these walls. "I was expecting you!" Jane Anne called out with a small smile as she came out of the storage room. Sophie took a seat at the counter and asked her in a serious voice, "What is going on?" "Getting right to the point now, are we?" "Yes, we are. You don't get to say things to me the way you have said them the other night and expect me to be okay with the fact that you are getting my family involved in the Salvatore mess." "It is our family, Sophie and I know best." "How do you know best? What are you hiding?" "Don't get all stressed up. This is not good for the baby." Sophie slammed her fist on the counter with tears in her eyes. "DAMN IT! JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU GO ME INTO!" She yelled out before she could stop herself. Jane Anne stared at her, wide-eyed before whispering, "I have made a deal with Giuseppe. I told you that, Sophie." "Why would he be interested to make a deal with our family in the first place?" There was a moment of silence before Jane Anne whispered, "Because he likes me." Sophie believed that she had not registered the message correctly. "What do you mean by…he likes you?" "I mean that he likes me."

"In what way?" "In every way possible. What do you want me to say, Sophie? We are having an affair." Jane Anne finally told her and Sophie's mouth dropped. "You can't be serious." "Why wouldn't I be serious?" "Jane Anne, are you insane? He is so much older than you, not to mention that he has two sons who are almost your age, and on top of that, he is this town's greatest enemy. And you have decided to start an affair with him? What are you doing?" "I have been working with him for a long time, Sophie." "So, this is the job you refused to talk to me about?" "Yes." "And what? He woed you in order to make you do things his way?" "Sophie, stop it! It is not like that. He likes me and I like him. We are doing this for us, because he wants me to be by his side, and I have always wanted a strong and mature man like him." "You're desperate because Mom and Dad have never agreed to the men you wanted to date." "I like this man and it's going to stay that way. My family is pulling out of this whole Mikaelson deal the minute I talk to Mom and Dad." "They are never going to let you do that." "Watch me. I will talk my way into this. I always do." "This is not about the good of our family. This is about you and the fact that you want your relationship with that guy to be accepted for once!" "I am in love with him, Sophie." Jane Anne whispered. Sophie was in awe, as she laughed lightly. "You are confusing yourself."

"No, you are the one who is confusing herself. It doesn't matter that you have gotten yourself pregnant. I have an idea and I would like for you to follow it, if you want to get out of your marriage to Finn. You never liked this guy and you deserve better than him. Kaleb is better. He will take care of you and your child." "You want me to run off with Kaleb, and pretend that the child I am carrying is his?" Sophie asked in horror. "Yes. It is the perfect solution. Kaleb would be a better father to that baby and you know that." "But, I can't…I am not that type of person, Jane Anne." "Think about it, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt because of the mistakes the Mikaelsons have made. Everything is going to be okay if you follow what I have said to you." "The Salvatores…what do they have to say about this?" "Giuseppe and his sons want to take down the Mikaelsons and because Giuseppe wants me in his life, he is willing to make our family an offer and get out of the mess without any harm inflicted. You and your baby will be safe and Kaleb will take care of you. Can you agree to that?" Sophie looked down at her fingers and whispered, "Only if Mom and Dad will agree to it."

…

Finishing their breakfast, Klaus grabbed her hand under the table, making Hayley look up at him with a smile on her face. "Are you finished?" he asked in a whisper and Hayley's eyes darted to the basement door out in the hall and smiled, nodding. "I will be there in a couple of minutes." Esther was watching carefully as Klaus leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss near her earlobe, whispering, "I'll be waiting, little wolf." He then pulled back, pressed another kiss on her hand and left the table, with his mother's permission. Esther couldn't help but smile at her son's accomplishment of being romantic with his wife, just as she had instructed him to be. "I see everything is going well between the two of you." Esther said as only her, Hayley, Camille and Elijah remained at the table. Hayley looked surprised at Esther's sudden interest in her marriage and just nodded, saying, "It is going really well, thank you." "I am glad my son has someone like you. He has never been this romantic with a woman before. You must bring out a side of him we never knew he had." "Rebekah knew." Hayley responded and then she closed her eyes as she realized she had a mistake by mentioning her.

Esther tried not to look after by this, although Hayley could see the pain in her eyes. "Where is Mr. Mikaelson?" Camille asked, noticing the tension as well as the silence at the table. Esther responded, "He has an early meeting with the Board. Apparently, there have been some changes. Someone wants to pull out." Camille nearly spilled the tea she was drinking at the news she already knew of, but refused to tell someone in the family. Elijah set down his fork and looked shocked. "Who, Mother?" "I don't know. Your father refused to tell me. He was curious and he ought to be. The Salvatores are now in our town and we need as many alliances as possible. I can't believe someone would leave us at a time in which we are all so desperate." Shaking her head, Esther finished her tea and finally stood up, leaving the table. Elijah kissed Camille's lips and said softly, "I will be waiting for you upstairs, preparing your violin. I will be waiting for you." Cami smiled as she watched him leave. "You are doing so well." She nodded and pointed at Hayley. "You too. I never thought of Klaus to be so romantic. I thought he was tougher than that." "He is, but…things have changed. I have fallen for him hard and…"

"And he clearly loves you." Camille ended for her. "Yes, I suppose he does." "What do you think is happening with the Board?" Cami asked, desperate to hear Hayley's insight on the situation. "I don't know what to say about that. I am disappointed that we are losing someone as an ally…but I know my family is not the one who would pull out. Do you know something about your uncle?" When she asked that, she noticed the fear growing on Cami's face. "You don't have to tell me, you know." "I do have to. You're my friend and we always confide in each other. My uncle is the one pulling out." She said the last part in a whisper, afraid that someone might hear. Hayley grabbed Cami's hand and asked, "How could he?" "He called me and asked me to leave Elijah for the family business. He is pulling out one hundred percent, Hayley." "And what did you say to him?" "I told him that I refuse to do that. Elijah has made me the happiest woman, and my life…has never been the happiest possible. I love him and he loves me. We have finally decided to put behind the Gia and the Marcel chapters and start our life together as husband and wife. I won't lose him for my uncle's reckless decisions. I am on the Mikaelson side." Hayley smiled and said, "I am very proud of you, you know that? You made a wonderful decision to stand by your husband." "It was a tough decision. How can you choose between your family and the husband you love and who loves you?"

"I would never turn my back on my family." Hayley whispered. "If your parents would ever ask you to leave Klaus for the family's sake…would you leave him?" Hayley shook her head. "I don't know what to say. Mom and Dad have always been the world's greatest parents, but I can't turn my back on Klaus either, the man I love. I just can't." "That is understandable." At that moment, Laura and some of the other maids walked inside and started cleaning the table. "Are you finished, m'lady?" Laura asked Hayley and she smiled, "One of these days, you have to start calling me by my first name. It is appropriate. I don't mind, Laura." Laura simply bowed her head and smiled. "Well, I have a violin lesson to go to." Camille stated, standing up and Hayley hugged her. "Good luck. I am rooting for both of our marriages to get through this. I want us to be happy…in peace." "And we will be, Hayley. We will be." As they parted ways, Hayley went upstairs, changed into her training shirt and pants and rushed downstairs, fluffing her hair and watched as Klaus was already in action. He was half naked, dressed only in his black jeans, as he was knocking down a dummy, applying lots of punches. The minute he saw her, he stood up and flashed her a smirk. "I was preparing for what is to come." "I see…so kind of like a warmup without me?" Hayley asked as she put on a pouty face, coming downstairs, and walking seductively towards him.

He grabbed her waist and started kissing her passionately. The kiss showed desperation and Hayley realized that he had been meaning to do this for a while now…but could never find the courage to do it in front of his parents or his siblings. Hayley didn't look upset and wanted him to take his time. "No rush. If you don't feel comfortable with kissing me in public, then it's okay." Hayley whispered as they pulled back and pressed their foreheads together, breathing heavily. Her hands were on his muscular arms as he was taking in her wonderful earthy scent. "I know that you have certain expectations of where this marriage can lead to…and I do not wish to disappoint you, Hayley." He finally said to her, searching through her eyes for a reaction. Hayley simply shook her head and cupped his cheeks. "You don't have to act this way. Not with me. You told me that you are not used to having a relationship, but I can wait. Truly…I can." Hayley replied and kissed his lips softly one more time, before pulling away and turning towards the punching bag. "What are we learning today?" she asked and held out her fists, making Klaus chuckle. "Eager as always, aren't you, my love?" Her heart started beating faster when she heard him call her that. It was taking some time to getting used to that she was now his, in all senses of the word, and Jackson was her past, but she loved taking her time with him and him with her. "Keep your fists together, like this, clear your mind…" He put himself behind her again as she closed her eyes and felt one of his hands on her waist and the other was on her fist.

She had to admit that she found it fascinating, each step in the way and the way Klaus was teaching her was just pure professional coming from him. "You're an excellent teacher." She smiled after an hour of sweating and learning. "I am the best, love and I am not ashamed to admit it. Now…it is the time you have been waiting for." "What do you mean?" "You get the chance to fight me." Klaus responded, touching her shoulder softly and Hayley rolled her eyes. "Don't be so coy. I know that you are not going to fight fair." "Little wolf, I never fight fair but for the purpose of teaching you the right way to fight when push comes to shove…I will do it properly." Hayley pouted and whispered, "You are going to hurt me?" "I wouldn't appreciate you making me do that, but if I have no choice, I will. When you look at me now, I want you to think of me as the enemy and I want you to take me down." Klaus watched her contemplating on the situation for a moment and before he knew it, she had him down on the ground, while he was unprepared but the moment he focused on her move, he made the next one, trapping her against the wall. He smiled and nuzzled into her neck, nibbling on it and making her moan in ecstasy, but after a moment when he was really into it, she got him away from her, punching him to the ground and trapping his body against her legs.

"I am very impressed, love. You passed the test of seduction." Klaus stated as she finally let him go. "That was the test of seduction? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. "It means that you managed to stay in control of the situation, even when I was trying to make it impossible, using my seduction tactics." "Why would I need to learn that? Are you afraid that some man will try to seduce me into his trap and that I will fall for it?" she asked him. Klaus rolled his eyes and stepped closer to her, seeing the wide smile on her face, and said, "I am simply taking precautions, Hayley. Anything is possible, especially where Giuseppe Salvatore is concerned." Kissing his lips, she turned away from him, leaving him slightly stunned. There was something off about her even today. "Love, have I upset you in any way?" he asked as he grabbed her and pressed her close to him, afraid that she didn't possess the same opinion as him when it came to her taking Doctor Stevens' job. Shaking her head, Hayley bit her lip and tried to stay passive and failed. "There is something you are not telling me and I want to know what it is about." Klaus concluded, making her look frightened for a moment.

"Klaus, there is nothing going on." "Then why am I sensing some sort of distance from you? Are you unhappy with what I said about your possible position as a doctor? Are you upset about what I said about our future with children?" "No, Klaus, it's not about that. I am just…" She was trying to find the right excuse. She made a promise to her parents. She couldn't break the sacred bonds of family and just tell Klaus something she had said to keep a secret for her parents. "…I am just annoyed that there can be no peace in this family. I want to be happy…" It was partially true. "You will be happy, love. I will make you happy. I promise you that, but we must take care of Giuseppe first." "You're putting him high on your goal list, I see." "Yes. He was partially involved in the death of my sister and he is not going to get away with it, Hayley. I have already told you that." "Klaus, your mother told me that Mikael is suffering some damage in the Board. Someone is pulling out." "Who?" Klaus asked, stunned. "I think it is Kieran." "No. Father has always trusted him. He wouldn't back out of the Board." "He might…if Salvatore offered him a better deal." Hayley concluded. "We cannot lose allies now." "I know. We have to think before we rush into this, Klaus. You want the Salvatores to pay, and I can understand that but…we lost Rebekah, and I…" She pressed her soft lips against his pouty ones and creased them gently. "I love you. I don't want to lose you." "You're afraid I will get hurt." "Yes." He kissed her forehead and embraced her tightly. "I am a strong man, little wolf. I will come back to you…always. Remember that."

…

"Kieran, you cannot do this!" Mikael snarled as he slammed his fist on the table. He was stunned as Kieran stood up and picked up his jacket from the chair, putting it around himself. "You don't have to worry, Mikael. All the secrets will stay in between us. Mobsters keep their word and the police will find no evidence of anything. This is between your family and the Salvatores. It is a corrupted city in which police officers are barely found. The road is clean for us." "How could you betray me this way? I thought we were friends!" Mikael stood up, as the other members of the Board watched Kieran approach him. "I have been faithful to you. I have been your follower for a long period of time, but now that my nephew is back in town, I believe I deserve better than to be your little slave, and for my family too." He pushed Mikael out of his way and walked to the door. "WHEN HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TREATED AS A SLAVE?!" Mikael roared and Kieran smirked, turning around and saying, "I am sure that you still have Jack to keep you company, Mikael. No need to get all riled up about me. He was always your favorite anyway." With that, he walked out the door, leaving Mikael hopeless.

Annabelle and Jack looked over at one another, feeling a sense of loyalty in them as Jack patted Mikael on the back. "We will get through this, Mikael. Kieran doesn't need to be a part of this team." Mikael looked up and whispered, "I feel as if Giuseppe has outsmarted me and managed to recruit Kieran and his family on his team. His niece is married to my son. What am I supposed to do about that?" "It depends with whom Cami wants to side with." "Of course she will side with her family! But I cannot have an O'Connell in my family, not after this tragedy." "It is not a tragedy. Kieran is replaceable." David Claire said. "No, he is not. He is the only one with the profession of a priest as a job cover and he had control over the police in this city. We lost that advantage so now, we need to be even more discreet in our killings." "Killings?" Mika Deveraux gasped. "Yes, killings. Giuseppe Salvatore is not going to rest until he has all of our heads. That is why he is here. He mocked me for trying to get my money back…and he offered me hints. He is here to stay. He wants to destroy my family and break apart the deal between me and my…I cannot call you allies. You are my friends."

The people in the Board looked at one another and Mikael sighed, sitting back down, and placing his hands on the table, in a serious manner. "I have been betrayed by one person today. I wish to know who is loyal to me until the end. Who is going to help me take down the Salvatores once and for all?" The Board members were looking at one another, especially Mika and Robert Deveraux, who just a couple of hours ago, had received startling news from their eldest daughter. _"Mom, Dad, you have to listen to me!" Jane Anne exclaimed as both of her parents turned their backs on her. "I never thought that you would become so naïve as to create an alliance with Giuseppe Salvatore, the man who wants nothing more but to destroy us." "No. He wants to take down Mikael and his family, and as far as I am concerned, Mikael has done a lot of damage to this city as it is. New rules should be imposed and Giuseppe can become the President of the Board." "Just so he can rule the Mafia in two of the most important cities, is that correct? Jane Anne, my baby, how could you?" Mika asked her, as she cried. Robert put his hand around his wife and said to Jane Anne coldly, "You have been working for Giuseppe all along, that is the reason why you never wants to tell us anything about your job in Mystic Falls." "Father, I…" "You stand with the Salvatores…you no longer stand with us. Leave." Robert demanded, pulling his crying wife into a hug. After a slight hesitation, Jane Anne whispered, "Fine." And left her home._

The Deveraux couple stood up at the table and informed Mikael of what their eldest daughter had been planning behind their backs. Mikael stared at them, in shock as Robert added, "I won't deny that you have made many mistakes in this Board, Mikael and being the President of it does not suit you at all. I believe that you should be facing the consequences of your actions…but right now, a greater enemy is trying to take this Board apart and lead. We must stop Giuseppe Salvatore, so that is why, we have pledged our loyalty to you, and so have the rest of the people who have remained." Mikael nodded with a smile, not at all bothered by the way Robert had criticized his actions as President of the Board…as he knew exactly what he had been capable of doing. "Very well! Now that you have all agreed to stand by me…we must be prepared for the worst to come. And as for your daughter…" "Jane Anne is no longer on our side, as she has already chosen to join the Salvatores against us." "But she is still your daughter." Annabelle whispered. Robert shook his head. "The business…is business." He concluded.

…

"Take a five minute break!" Giuseppe yelled out as he watched his sons in action, training. Stefan took a deep breath and went over to his father, taking off his boxing gloves. "I suggest you use your fists to train next time. You don't use boxing gloves on the battlefield." Damon coughed up a laugh as he went by his brother's side and replied, "That is alright, Father. You know that Stefan still has his baby-soft hands." Stefan rolled his eyes and punched him in the gut. "Watch it, brother. I won't be so careful next time." He smirked. Giuseppe let out a groan, frustrated at the pointless discussions he had to take from his sons. "I have come here to talk to you about our move against the Mikaelsons." "Yes, we're listening, Father." Damon replied, getting more serious this time. Giuseppe looked around and asked, "Where are Caroline and Katherine? Are they not interested in training programs?" "Shopping happens to be more important for them." Stefan commented and Giuseppe scowled. "We will have a discussion when they arrive, regarding the exposure. As for now, I want to inform you of the latest addition to our group."

The brothers waited until Giuseppe said, "Jane Anne Deveraux." Stefan and Damon looked passive until the eldest brother scratched his head and said, "Father, it is possible that you might have a slight memory loss, but I remember you telling us this yesterday. We know that she is a part of our group, disobeying her parents. Tisc, tisc…must be an untrustworthy one." "Oh no, I can assure you that she is very trustworthy. As a matter of fact, she is my new lover." Giuseppe revealed, making Damon and Stefan look in shock. "What do you mean by that?" Stefan asked. "It means that we're a couple. Simple as that." "And that is the reason why she joined us? Dad, how long has this been going on?" Damon asked. "For a long while now. We met in Mystic Falls and I have been giving her all sorts of assignments there. We got closer and now…we are lovers." "But what about Mom? You said that she was the love of your life. Was Jane Anne your affair before Mom died?" There was silence and the brothers already received their answers. Giuseppe recovered them from their shock and said, "That is not the part that is important. I want you to know that we are going to go with the plan of kidnapping tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?" Damon crossed his hands over his chest. "Because that is when I find it most appropriate. I have been in contact with Kieran and it seems that he and his nephew, Sean, can clear the road for us to do what must be done. No police involved. Do you understand that? The Mikaelson brothers are the targets in order to get to Mikael and your wives are the baits." "How is Kieran supposedly working for us? Isn't his niece married to one of them Mikaelsons?" "She is. But her allegiance is not with us. Kieran doesn't care for her much so I suppose that is going to be alright. Get back to your training. By tomorrow, Mikael's entire empire is going to crumble down, leaving me to pick it up from the ashes, and rise…" Smiling proudly, Giuseppe left the training room.

…

Hayley smiled as she looked into the shop at the many paintings colors she could find. She wanted to buy him a gift and since art is what he enjoyed most in the world, Hayley bought him a very expensive brush from her own salary as a nurse, as well as new colors, some even rarely found. Hayley looked at the price and felt her world spinning. It was more than what she earned in a month at that hospital, but she really wanted to do this for him. "Thank you." Hayley said with a smile to the cashier, as she put everything in a bag and started leaving when she bumped into a person. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said, but then closed her mouth right away as she recognized the blonde from in front of her. She had seen her before her coma, speaking to Klaus, as well as at her birthday party. "You must be Hayley. I think it is time that we finally meet. Caroline Salvatore." Caroline shook her hand even though Hayley did not give it to her. At that moment, another young woman stepped behind Caroline. She had long curly brown hair and her face was full of dark make-up. "Who is this?" "Katherine, this is Hayley, the wife of that Klaus Mikaelson, I told you about."

The moment they shook hands, Hayley said bitterly, "You might remember me. That was my birthday party you attended that night." Katherine smirked and replied, "Sorry, but I do have a lot on my plate with my family. I don't tend to remember everything about you Mikaelsons." "Fine. Have a good day." Hayley said, not trying to stir up any trouble, but before she could leave, Caroline grabbed her hand and steadied her. Hayley tightened her own grip on the arm that was holding her, and Caroline winced in pain, pulling it away in shock. "You really are a bitch as people say you are, you know?! This is a one thousand dollar manicure!" she nearly screeched. Katherine tried to calm her down as people were starting to stare at them in the store. "Oh I'm so sorry. Honestly." Hayley said sarcastically, trying to move away again but this time, it was Katherine who grabbed a hold of her. "Where do you think you're going, you runt?" Hayley closed her eyes and envisioned her and Klaus during her training. _"Keep your fists together, like this, clear your mind…"_ came his husky whisper, inside of her head, as she turned around and punched Katherine in the arm. "ARGH! YOU BITCH!" Katherine yelled out and at that moment, security came and pried both Katherine and Caroline off of Hayley before they could do anything.

"I need you to calm down, ma'am." One man said as he gripped tighter on Caroline and the other on Katherine. Caroline took in a deep breath and fluffed her hair before eying Hayley and saying softly, "You will get what is coming to you. Both you and your filth of a husband." Hayley smirked and stepped closer to her face and looked at her darkly. "I think you're mistaken. You keep your honey blonde face out of my life and out of Klaus' life, or this is going to get worse than it already has. You have been warned." Hayley said to her, darkly, as she stepped out of the store with what she had bought and touched her forehead. When had she become so fierce? What did Caroline mean by what she said? What was awaiting their family? What were the Salvatores planning on doing? Hayley reached her home in time and hugged Klaus tightly when she saw him, kissing his lips and not caring that Esther was watching, before telling him everything that had happened to her in town with Caroline and Katherine. The only thing he could do was laugh when his wife told him of the beating she gave the two girls in a shop full of people. "I was trying to keep myself intact, knowing that I was in a store full of people who were watching but I couldn't help…" Hayley's mouth stopped talking as his own mouth covered hers in a searing hot kiss. "You are indeed my wife." Klaus murmured with a smile on his face.

Later that evening, they were lying in bed together, after making love, when Hayley pulled out what she had bought for him from the drawer. "Love, what is this?" Klaus asked in a shocking whisper as he looked over the expensive brush and new colors. "I know that Mikael has never given you the money to buy something this expensive for your pleasure so I wanted to do that, as your wife." Hayley replied, kissing his neck and snuggling close to him. She could see a smile playing on his face, as he finally set down his present, and turned to her, kissing her passionately, and touching her naked body with his hands, roaming up and down. "What would I do without you?" he asked in a murmur as he started kissing her neck and her eyes closed, as she smiled. At that moment, she remembered what she had contemplated on that morning. She wanted to talk to him about…her heritage. She wanted to tell him the truth, but she couldn't find the courage. He was still Mikael's favorite son and could tell him, even if she begged him not to. What if he wouldn't forgive her for keeping this secret from him? What if he hated the fact that she was not a Marshall by blood? When he sensed that she was not responding, Klaus pulled back and looked at her in the eyes. "Is something wrong, little wolf? Have I upset you in any way?" "No." Was the only thing she whispered as she caressed his face. He frowned as he saw the tears forming up in her eyes and he pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. "I appreciate honesty a lot, my love. I know you are hiding something from me. I want to know the truth. Tell me what is bothering you." "I can't tell you, Klaus."

Hayley covered her face, starting to sob. "Why not?" "Because I promised my parents I wouldn't." She could see the disappointed look on his face, but there was nothing she could do. "Please, I am asking you to tell me, as your husband. I am entitled to know the truth." "You wouldn't want to be with me anymore if you knew and I…I don't want to lose you." She tried to remain strong but was finding it impossible, with each second that passed. Klaus watched her broken face and his heart ached, as he leaned forward and kissed her softly. Her hands went around his neck and deepened the kiss. Hayley could feel her body cooling and her fear was almost gone. He killed the side of her arm and whispered, "Whatever it is, I believe I am strong enough to take it…but don't you dare tell me that I am the one who could leave you, when I am the one who is still insecure regarding your stay with me." Hayley shook her head. "I won't ever leave you. I promise." "Then I promise that whatever you confess to me…I will stand by your side." "Why would you want to do that?" His hand went through her hair, caressing it softly as he responded, "You are my wife and the woman I love. Tell me." Her heart felt heaving as he pressed his forehead to hers and in that moment, she let it out, "I am not the biological daughter of Jack and Annabelle. I was adopted. I do not have Marshall blood in me. I was never meant to be in the Mafia."

 **A/N: I will let you guess what happens next. How do you think Klaus is going to react to this news? Do you think he will be upset that Hayley has not told him? Do you think he will tell Mikael about this? What about the Salvatores? What do you think they are going to do? We have drama and action as the battles between the Mikaelsons and the Salvatores start in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	21. For Better And For Worse

**Previously, in Corrupted Souls, Jane Anne tried to convince her sister and her parents to join the Salvatore side, but failed, as Sophie is now carrying Finn's child. Father Kieran left the Board and Mikael's side, siding along with Sean and Gia, with Giuseppe Salvatore. Klaus had trained Hayley to fight like in any Mafia battle, as the Salvatore brothers learned of their father's romance with Jane Anne Deveraux. At last, after confronting Caroline and Katherine, Hayley found herself at home, revealing to Klaus her heritage.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Klaus and Hayley talk about Hayley's accidental implication in the Mafia, as she is waiting for him to make a decision about the change in their relationship. Camille and Elijah talk about her passion for the violin, as well as her family's cruelty to leave the Board. After fighting for her wife to stay with him, Finn's health is put at risk, as Mikael and Esther finally discover the drugs. At the hospital, Doctor Stevens informs Hayley of her new position. Meanwhile, Giuseppe informs Caroline of what she must do as bait in their plan. Waiting for Finn's recovery, Mikael is bombarded by the police, who are searching suspects for the murder of the Geralds. At long last, Hayley, Camille, and Davina are confronted with curious disappearances.**

* * *

"I am not the biological daughter of Jack and Annabelle. I was adopted. I do not have Marshall blood in me. I was never meant to be in the Mafia." She let out of her system. His forehead was pressed against hers and his eyes were closed for a moment, processing what she had said. When he opened them, he stared at her, in surprise, as he saw fear in her own orbits. Pulling himself away from her, his mouth parted in shock. He got off the bed in silence and put on his clothes, as Hayley was staying on the bed, paralyzed that she had confessed something like this to him. "Klaus…please say something to me." He continued to get dressed in silence, finding it impossible to speak after such a discovery was made. "I cannot believe that you would keep something from me, after I told you that honesty is what I find very important in a relationship." "And so do I, but this was…" "You are not Jack Marshall's daughter?" Klaus asked her, and Hayley's breathing hitched, as she recognized those cruel eyes, those she was shown before they began a true relationship. "Klaus." She whispered and covered her body with the white sheets, standing up and cupping his cheeks. He stayed there, looking at her with the same eyes.

"Please, my parents begged me to enter this marriage, keeping this secret. How could we admit to you that I am not a true Marshall? Mikael would have never allowed this marriage to happen and my family would have been ruined." She looked desperate for him to understand her. He grabbed a hold of her hands and pushed them off of his face. "And instead, you chose to lie to me." "But nothing has changed. I am the same person that I was when I married you. I am the same person, just not a Marshall by blood, but I was raised by them as a baby." Klaus closed his eyes and anger flashed through them, as he tried to leave the room, but she stopped him. "Don't do this, Klaus, please. I love you. Look at me. I love you and I…I hoped that you would look past this, because you love me too. I know you do." "You tricked me." Klaus whispered, but Hayley started shaking her head, desperately, as she held onto him for her life. She couldn't lose him. Not now, not after everything that had happened. "Klaus, look past this. I am sorry, but I had to do this for my family. Please don't tell your father!" she begged with tears brimming in her eyes. "That is all that interests you, isn't it? My father not finding out of your lies."

"Klaus, please…that is not true. I told you now because I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want to keep this from you, regardless of what my parents said." "The moment you stepped into my home, I knew you had lied to me the moment we first met. Do you remember that? You called yourself Hayley Mitchel and because I wanted our marriage to work, I had decided to put that behind us. I didn't tell my father the truth. For the first time in my life, I had lied to him, for you. And not even now, can I understand why I had done that. There was nothing going on between us. I barely knew you, but what matters is that I put it past me. And now, you bombard me with an even bigger lie. You are not Hayley Mitchel but then again you are not Hayley Marshall either. WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Klaus lost his temper and pushed her against the wall, as Hayley grabbed a hold of his fists. "Klaus please don't do this to me. Stop it, please." He closed his eyes as he kept his hands at either side of her face. Hayley kept herself still as she continued to search his face for a sign. "I love you. It shouldn't matter to you what my last name is, if you truly love me." Her own eyes hardened as she asked him bitterly, "Do you even love me the way you said you did?"

He opened his eyes just as furious as when he had closed them. Punching the wall next to her head, he noticed that he had not managed to intimidate her one bit. She was still standing there, with her eyes on him, not intending to leave. "Do you love me for me, or is my las name what matters to you most?" she asked him, softer this time but her eyes were filled with mixed emotions, afraid of what his answer would be. "You can keep your present." He whispered and both of their eyes wondered to the expensive art set she had bought for him, from her own money. "No. I don't want it." Hayley replied, her tears streaming down her cheeks, as she pushed him away from her and left the room. If this was the way he felt about them, then there was no reason to stay with him in the same room. Klaus growled and plunged his fist into the wall of his room, seeing it bloodied once again, like he was used to, but this time, he knew that she wouldn't be by his side to tend to his wounds. Feeling frustrated by her discoveries, he left his room, choosing to refuge his soul in the Art Room, just as he used to do when Rebekah died. He picked up his regular brush, dipped it into his red paint and drew angry streaks onto the canvas.

 _An eighteen year old Rebekah, entered his Art Room with a small giggle, as she watched her big brother paint. "What is it now? Who are you hiding from?" Klaus asked and Rebekah crossed her hands over her chest and shrugged. "Mother wants me to do chores. I don't get why I have to put up with that, I Father got us maids to do those chores for us." "Well, Rebekah, love, I suggest that you take matters into your own hands. You have your own responsibilities in this house and I suppose Mother is simply trying to teach those types of responsibilities to you." "Oh, yeah? And what about you? All you do is sit around here all day and paint. You let me come here, but you never told me anything about your paintings. Why?" Purposely, she went over to his side and admired what he was working on. She smiled as she whispered, "Who is she?" "Someone." Klaus mumbled, as he continued painting the young woman, whose face could not be seen. She was sitting in his room, with a baby at her naked breasts. "Oh dear God, please tell me that is not Caroline, brother." Rebekah groaned, as she knew very well her brother's obsession with her. Klaus chuckled and shook his head, "As much as I know you would like it to be her…" He said with sarcasm as he watched his sister's face show disgust. "…it is not her. This woman is brunette." "I can see that. So she is a woman you plan to meet?"_

 _When he didn't answer, Rebekah groaned, "Nik, I am not a little girl anymore. I can understand if you have some sort of needs…" "My needs, Rebekah, are not something that are ought to be discussed with you." "Why not? You trusted me enough to let me into your oh so secret chamber. Why can't you tell me about this girl? Is it someone you know?" "No. It is someone I hope to meet." Klaus whispered after a moment of silence. "I see. So, she is something serious." "I don't do serious, Rebekah." "Bullshit! You are painting a woman with a baby. Isn't that what you want? A family of your own?" Klaus smirked and shook his head, "I have a family, and you are part of that family." "But it's not enough, Nik. I am younger and I can understand the concept of unconditional love, which you receive not only from your family, but also from a certain someone you meet and fall in love with…" "I don't fall in love. That is why I have Caroline." "You can't hide from love forever, brother. Someday, it's going to find you. You are going to find that special someone and you won't ever want to let her go." "I am not interested." Rebekah huffed and pointed at the painting. "Then why did you paint this?" "Because I simply find women with children fascinating." Rebekah whispered in his ear, "Bullshit." Before leaving._

He still had that painting, stacked up among others. Klaus looked over at the painting with the many red streaks with a sigh and pushed it away from him, as it landed with a thud on the ground. He could not concentrate. There was nothing but anger building up inside of him, anger and the feeling of betrayal. His heart felt shattered at her confession. How could she lie to him? He had poured his heart out to this woman, something he had not gotten to do with anyone else. He thought he could trust her. Growling, he set aside his emotions for her at the moment and picked up his brush and yet another canvas, where he could paint what he felt. _"Don't do this, Klaus, please. I love you. Look at me. I love you and I…I hoped that you would look past this, because you love me too. I know you do."_ Her words chimed inside of his mind, and before he knew it, the brush was dropped to the ground and he had started punching the walls again in anger. Blood was pouring out of his knuckles but he couldn't care less. He wanted to feel this way. He wanted her to see the pain she had inflicted upon him. He had let a woman inside of his heart, only for it to be shattered by lies. Lies. He could not stand them.

Esther pressed her hand over her mouth as she heard the angry noise coming from her son's Art Room. She knew that something awful must have happened. Gently opening the door to Hayley's old room, she saw her there. "My dear, what is going on?" she asked as she watched Hayley taking the things from his room, back to her old room. She wiped away her tears as she said, "I lied to him about me, as I have lied to the rest of you, to protect myself and my parents. I told him the truth now, because I thought that after everything we have been through, he wouldn't care. He loves me. He told me. Why would he care?" She sat on her bed, sobbing, as Esther gently came over to her side and pulled her in for a hug. "You don't have to tell me about this secret of yours but whatever it is…" "No. I want to tell you. The only person I am scared of is your husband because I know how Klaus' temper matches his." "Then if you choose to tell me, I can promise you that Mikael will not hear a word from me. What is it that you confessed to Niklaus that made him so angry at you?" "I am not a Marshall by birth. Annabelle and Jack adopted me when I was just a baby, Esther." She whispered. Esther looked at her in a state of shock, before composing herself and saying, "I am sure that hiding this is not a sin."

"It is to your son. I told him I love him and that is why I chose to tell him the truth even though…I was warned that if Mikael were to find out about this…Esther, I am so sorry. Please don't punish my parents. Please, punish me." Esther saw the tears in the girl's eyes and shook her head, bringing Hayley closer and saying softly, "No one is going to punish you, my dear and my husband does not need to know about this." "Klaus is mad at me. He is going to tell him." Esther shook her head and whispered, "No, he is not. You let me speak to him. Everything will be alright. Blood to me, does not matter. You have been raised since birth by Annabelle and Jack Marshall and that is all that should matter." Hayley nodded with a smile on her face, that Esther was showing her such kindness for the first time since she had moved here with the Mikaelsons. They embraced one another but Hayley couldn't help but shed a few tears once again when she heard the noises coming from the Art Room, next door.

…

"I can't concentrate." Camille whispered as she finally put down her violin and Elijah came by her side. "What seems to be the problem now?" "Uncle Kieran is off the Board, just like he told me he would be." Cami responded, feeling herself getting agitated, as she remembered what she had heard him say on the phone. "I wish you had told me sooner about this issue. I wish you had…told me about that phone call the first time I asked you if everything is alright. What have I said to you about keeping secrets from me? You are my wife and you should be able to trust me." "I do trust you, but this was a family issue. It involved my own family." "I can understand that, but…" "Elijah, I understand how you feel. I'm sorry. I should have told you, but right now, I feel as if I am losing everyone I knew in my life. My family means a lot to me, and now we are each on our separate ways." Elijah shook his head and cupped her cheek, "Hey, listen to me. You have your family with me. I am also your family now. We can make this work." Cami shook her head. "If my uncle has left us, then there is a huge possibility that Giuseppe Salvatore now has him under his wing."

"That is his loss. We can fight with what members we still have left on that Board. We can outsmart the Salvatores. That, I am sure of." "Is that what you want us to go through Elijah? You don't think that maybe, just maybe, I might be tired of these feuds between families? I had to learn that the Geralds died because your father didn't trust them." "They were working against us with Giuseppe already, as well as Casper Roland. You must see that we cannot have traitors in this city. I can understand my father's reason. He only wants to protect his family. That is what he is known for, after all." "He used your mother's disease to lie to the Board about why he wanted that money." "Yes, but he confessed afterwards." Cami shook her head and cupped his cheeks gently. "I always thought of you to be the one more level-headed in this family. What happened to that man who saw the reason behind justice." Elijah raised his eyebrow and asked, "You don't believe justice is being made?" She shook her head. "No. Not at all. Your father has made a lot of mistakes and he should be paying for them and you know that." Elijah rubbed his forehead and asked, "When have we started talking about my father?"

"Now. I just wanted to show you…" "I already see enough in this family, Camille." "If you see enough, then why don't you try to do something? Why don't you try to talk to your father? He is sure to listen." Elijah shook his head. "No. He only listens to Niklaus. That is the way it has always been." "You never know unless you talk to him about his actions. Please do that, will you? Since your sister…he has been softer with all of you and maybe you should take advantage of that and speak to him. Promise me that you will try, for me." Elijah nodded and kissed her lips. Pulling away, he asked with a frown, "What is it that you think we should do about your uncle?" "He knows lots of secrets from the Board. If he tells them to Giuseppe…" "Your uncle prefers to fight fair." "I don't think so. He wants to win, whatever it takes, and by aligning himself with Salvatore now, he thinks that they have a better chance of them winning…" "…and regardless, you chose to remain by my side." Elijah ended her sentence with a smile on his face. Camille matched his smile and nodded. "Why would you do that?" "Because you're my husband and a wife stands by her husband. For better and for worse, remember?"

Nodding, Elijah placed a gentle kiss on her lips. There was a knock on their door and Esther stepped inside, looking at them both. She had a worried expression on her face. "Mother, what is it? Has something happened?" Esther just shook her head and whispered, "Niklaus and Hayley have decided to stay in separate rooms once again." Cami groaned and asked, "They had a fight?" "Yes, they have, my dear." "About what?" "Apparently, Hayley had just revealed to him a secret she had been keeping, and it upset him that she hadn't told him sooner." "What secret?" Elijah asked. Esther opened her mouth but decided against saying anything, remembering how Hayley had begged her to keep this hidden. The more people knew, the bigger chances Mikael had of finding out about it. "I don't know. You should ask her yourself." With that, she left the room, leaving Cami and Elijah in deep suspicion.

…

Sophie could feel her heart getting lighter when she thought about the phone call from her parents, telling her that the arrangement Jane Anne had tried to make with them failed. She could now live in peace knowing that both she and her family would be siding with the Mikaelsons. Walking down Bourbon Street, her heart stopped when she saw who was standing there in front of her. He looked much older now than he had when he was still living here, and he was still her best friend. "Sophie!" Kaleb called out and came to her side. Sophie placed her hand on her stomach, unsure of what she could do. Should she ignore him and go home? Should she stay? Should she take her sister's word and believe that Kaleb was back for her? He smiled at her when he finally caught up with her and grabbed her hands in his saying, "I am so happy I found you. Jane Anne told me about you…about your pregnancy." His voice sounded nothing but disappointing at the end of the sentence. "Yes, she told me a lot about you too. That you had aligned yourself with her and the Salvatores. I can't consider that person a friend anymore."

His smile disappeared and he shook his head saying, "I did this because I wanted to get you out of a marriage I know you are not happy in." "How do you know if I am happy in my marriage or not? You have been gone for a while, and I didn't miss you one bit, not after learning what you did. I am sorry, Kaleb, but I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore." Sophie tried to move away from him but he grabbed her hand and hissed, "I came back for you! I love you and I want to be with you! Please, leave that asshole and come with me. Your baby will be protected. Why should you suffer at the Mikaelsons' hands? Why should your baby suffer?" Sophie looked into his eyes and she knew that he had reason, but she couldn't leave. She knew that better than anyone. "Now, you are sounding just like my sister. I would gladly suffer because the Mikaelsons are my family. My name is Sophie Mikaelson and the child I am carrying is the child of Finn Mikaelson. Both of us are protected. You don't have to worry about me at all." His mouth parted to say something but at that moment, Sophie's cellphone rang.

With horror, Sophie rushed to the hospital, managing to get away from Kaleb, when she heard the news from Davina, who had called her. Opening the hospital doors, she saw part of the Mikaelson family standing there and waiting for her, meaning Mikael, Esther, Davina and Kol. She cursed under her breath for this family always getting into messes which result in medical care. "What is going on? What happened to Finn?" Sophie asked the minute she arrived in the waiting room. Mikael was on the phone, angry as Esther stepped towards her with the same angry face. She pulled out a box from her bag and showed it to her. Sophie's heart stopped as Esther angrily asked, "How much do you know about this? For how long have you known and not told anyone, Sophie?" Esther demanded. Sophie tried to speak but there was something blocking her voice. Mikael finished his phone call and said to Esther, angrily. "Elijah and Camille are on their way right now, and as for Niklaus, I cannot reach him. I don't know where he is." "What about Hayley?" "She is coming as well." Mikael stared at Sophie, just as angrily as Esther had. "How long have you known that my son had become a drug addict?" "For a few days now." Sophie responded, calmly. "And why wouldn't you say anything?!" Esther asked, outraged. "Because, I…he warned me that he would beat me if I said anything to anyone."

At hearing that, Esther's face was now calmer as Sophie's tears slid down her face and she covered her stomach with her hands. She looked up and saw Mikael and Esther watching her closely. "There is something else too. I am pregnant, with Finn's baby." Esther covered her mouth but there was nothing but happiness on her face as she embraced the girl and said to Mikael, "We are having our first grandchild. Can you believe it, Mikael?" Mikael had no reaction shown on his face at the news. He simply murmured, "You better take care of yourself then, and see how my son is doing." Sophie nodded and immediately headed to the room where Doctor Stevens was standing. She rolled her eyes and whispered, "God, I am so out of here by the end of the week. Canada, here I come. You Mikaelsons should really get yourselves a priest to bless your family. How can there be so many accidents in such a short period of time?" Sophie ignored her statement and asked, "Can I go inside?" "Well, we have pumped up his stomach and purified his blood, taking out the drug from his system. He is asleep, but if you want to go inside, you can. You are his wife, right?" Sophie nodded and went inside.

Finn was sitting there, laying on the bed with his eyes closed. Sophie slowly took a seat next to him and took his hands in hers, whispering, "I am going to regret for the rest of my life that I didn't stop you. It has become an addiction…but if you let me…I can take care of you now, as your wife…because we are having a baby together. This baby is going to need a father, Finn. Get better and open your eyes soon, so we can talk." When he didn't show any signs that he had heard anything she had said, Sophie decided to remain silent for a couple of moments until she could hear a knock on the door and Hayley entered the room slowly. "I'm sorry, am I disturbing you?" she asked and Sophie slowly shook her head, inviting her to take a seat next to her. "I feel bad about what happened. The question is, how did it happen?" Hayley asked and Sophie shook her head. "He thinks he found the perfect way to calm his nerves after Rebekah died. He started taking heroin, he found at the Geralds' home when he killed them. I wanted to tell Mikael and Esther but he threatened me, and I didn't want to make him mad." Hayley shook her head and said softly, "He needs to treat you with more respect."

Sophie nodded, saying, "We are slowly getting to that part. I am pregnant." Hayley's eyes widened as she looked at her and hugged her, saying, "I guess congratulations are in order. You are the first one to have a child waiting for your husband." "Yes, but with everything going on, this hadn't come at a good time. Our family is at war with another family, this child's father is now in this hospital bed, trying to renounce his addiction to drugs…and the baby's mother…she is lost, having to choose between the father of her child, the man she loves, and the man who has just returned from France, proclaiming his love for her, her once best friend." "Kaleb?" Hayley asked, in shock. Sophie nodded. "And what is worse is that Kaleb has aligned himself with my sister and with the Salvatores. The only thing good coming out of this is that my parents continue to be faithful to our alliance, and they won't back away, and now that I am carrying Finn's child, that doesn't really seem to be an option for me either." "Do you want to be with Kaleb?" "I don't know what I want anymore, Hayley."

Doctor Stevens walked inside with a clipboard in her hands. "Hayley, there you are! I have talked to the supervisors of this hospital. Reading your resume and the experience you have achieved here as a nurse, they have agreed to let you take my position here at the end of the week." Hayley nodded and smiled, needing some good news after everything that has happened today. "Thank you. I will take the position proudly, knowing that I am now in charge of all of these patients." Doctor Stevens rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, saying, "This family could use a doctor in their midst. I am not kidding, Hayley. They are lucky you are a Mikaelson." "Thank you, Doctor Stevens." Sophie said with a sarcastic smile, indicating for her to leave. The moment the doctor left, Hayley could hear some disturbing noises coming from outside, and she left Sophie and Finn, in order to see what was happening, hoping deep inside her heart that Klaus had arrived.

The disappointment grew the moment she saw some police officers standing there, in front of Mikael, questioning him. Hayley went to Esther's side and asked her in a whisper, "What is going on here?" Esther simply placed her finger over her lips as the two women watched the scene before them. "In case you haven't noticed, I am here with my family, so make it quick. My son is in bad health." Mikael was telling them with a growl. Officer Dan was taking notes and looking at him from time to time. "Do not worry, Mr. Mikaelson. This will not take long at all." "Yes, I hope not." Mikael put his hands on his hips, waiting impatiently as Officer Dan studied him carefully. "We are investigating the unexpected disappearances of Richard and Adrianna Gerard. From what I understand, their son and your daughter died on the exact same day they disappeared." "What do you mean they disappeared?" Mikael asked, looking shocked. "We still haven't found them, and it is supposed that they have been killed and the bodies have been hidden. We have been investigating this case for a couple of days now and whatever little evidence we have…have brought us to you." "Why me?" "Because you and they were terrible business partners, meaning you never got along."

Mikael chuckled and shook his head. "And you honestly believe that I had something to do with their disappearance? If you don't mind, I was living a tragedy, watching my daughter…dead!" "And how exactly did she die? We were never given a straight response from you." "It was a motorcycle accident. She and her boyfriend, meaning the Geralds' son, were driving it." "Why have we never seen the motorcycle to investigate?" "Because the motorcycle has landed in a river outside the city. It was not found and I was informed by the hospital that they had found my daughter's dead body, as well as the body of the man she was with." "How is it possible that she was seeing the son of the people you hated?" "I did not hate the Geralds. I was simply bothered by the fact that they were interfering in my business." "And what business is that, may I ask?" "I'm afraid that is none of your business. It is top secret." Mikael responded as the officer was taking notes, looking at him suspiciously. "Very well. Have a good day, Mr. Mikaelson." The officers left, but Mikael still seemed unconvinced that he was off the hook that easily.

…

Back at the Salvatore residence, Stefan was holding Caroline by her waist as the two were looking at Giuseppe. Stefan was angry by what his father was proposing but dared not to argue with him about it. "Your purpose, Caroline, is to draw him in. I have gotten information from Kieran that Klaus Mikaelson is not himself, and prefers sitting around and drinking at Rousseau's. You go to him, whine about your unhappy marriage, get him under your spell and bring him here. Katherine can take the two other Mikaelson brother, since one, as I hear, is laying on the hospital bed." Stefan cleared his throat and tightened his grip on his wife. "What if he hurts her, Father? If Klaus is drunk as you say he is, he might attack her." "No, no, no. He is suffering loneliness after a fall out with his wife and a beautiful female distraction is exactly what he will be looking for. Klaus Mikaelson is who he always was. People don't change that easily and Caroline will be the bait." "What if he tries to rape her?" Stefan asked and Caroline gave him a look. "Listen, I get that you're worried and all that but you don't have to worry so much about me. I have been under Klaus' influence before but now I know how to play it. Just trust me." Caroline told him and smiled softly as Stefan kissed her hand.

Just as she was asked, Caroline headed over to Rousseau's, where Klaus could be seen, drinking up the alcohol and looking as upset and lonely as he always was. Caroline took a seat next to him and ordered a bottle of scotch from the new bartender. Jane Anne couldn't get out in public anymore, with this new alliance she created. Clearing her throat, Caroline looked over at Klaus, who asked her, "Need time for drinking, love? I thought that your marriage was fine and dandy." "Who said that this was about my marriage?" Klaus chuckled and responded, "Because that is usually the reason people drink." "I think you're being paranoid." "And as drunk as I am, love, I can tell that you're up to something, so spill." "I am not up to something." "Sure, you are! I can see it in your eyes!" Caroline smiled to herself as she realized he had taken the bait and was suddenly interested in her problems. They drank together and laughed about the problems in their own marriages, as Caroline watched him get as drunk as possible. "Alright, let's get you out of here." She whispered, seductively in his ear as his eyes were starting to droop. Picking him up, he had finally passed out.

Klaus woke up to find himself in an unknown place. He was chained up to a wall with blood pouring out of his left leg. Pain immediately shot through him as he gasped for breath. Looking around, he gasped as he saw Elijah in the same state as him, passed out and next to him. "Brother! Elijah!" Klaus called out but Elijah did not budge, having cuts into his neck. Klaus turned to his right side and saw Kol dangling from there, also passed out. "KOL!" Klaus yelled out, louder this time but his brother could not say a word to him. Struggling through his chains to break free, Klaus did not succeed, as he felt the dizziness take over him. Footsteps could be heard and Klaus looked up to see Giuseppe, and his sons, Caroline, Katherine, Kieran, Kaleb and Jane Anne Deveraux enter the room with smug looks on their faces. "Should we cut him loose now that he's awake?" Kieran asked Giuseppe but the Mafia leader just shook his head with a wicked grin on his face, as he approached Klaus. "What the hell am I doing here?" Klaus growled. "You are here, along with your brothers, to play my own personal bait for your father. It is as simple as that. The moment he arrives, he will be heading into a trap, leading to his destruction, which will allow me to take over the Board and this city."

Hearing that, Klaus smirked as well, as he said firmly, "That is the oldest trick in the book. I would have thought that an old Mafia leader such as yourself would know better than to think that my father is going to fall for that. Even if he does come for us, he is going to be prepared." Giuseppe smiled and shook his head. "I can understand the furiousness Mikael is going to feel when he realizes that I have outsmarted him. He has upset me greatly when he refused to give me the money that rightfully belonged to me. I had to find the weakest and most pathetic allies, as the Geralds in order to get the money I won, and as a sore loser, he couldn't accept his fate." "You played dirty tricks and you stole my family's money! You deserve every ounce of danger that is coming for you." "There is no danger coming for me, boy. However, there will be for your father…as well as your pretty little wife." Giuseppe smirked as he saw that he had finally got to him with that statement.

…

"What are we going to do, Mikael? You know that these cops are not going to leave you alone until they've got a new trail. Get them something else to focus on. We have our sons to deal with now." Esther whispered as she held her husband in a tight embrace. "I don't know. I just know that Officer Dan has been suspecting me for a while now. I need to think fast. I need to focus on…" "Mikael!" Hayley exclaimed and Mikael growled when he turned around and saw the girls standing there. They never dared call him by his first name in person. "What is it now?" he asked, trying to look past the mistake. "Klaus is not answering his phone. Cami has tried with Elijah and it's the same thing, and Kol has disappeared from the hospital. Davina can't reach him. Where are they?" "How am I supposed to know that?" Mikael snapped at the three girls in front of him, when Mikael's phone started bleeping. Looking at it, Mikael's face dropped as he saw a message from the last man he wanted to hear from.

 _You should have backed off while you still had a chance, Mikael. Now, you are going to pay the price for what has happened. The 500.000 $ have always belonged to me and not to anyone else. War is what you wanted and war is exactly what you will get. I made the first move…what will be yours, I wonder?_ With this message, came attached a photo, and as Mikael opened the file, everyone gasped to see Klaus, Elijah and Kol, dangling from the wall, chained up and bloodied. Klaus' eyes were the only ones opened and he looked like he was in terrible pain. Hayley covered her mouth with her hand and felt the tears drip from her eyes as she saw her husband. "We have to do go now." She said, with anger on her face. "Do not be foolish, girl!" Mikael snapped. "Those are your sons, paying for your mistakes! Have some dignity, why don't you?" Hayley spat back at him. Mikael was prepared to hit her when Esther stopped him and whispered, "No, don't. Mikael, please. We must do something. Hayley is right. We can't just leave them there. They are our sons. I have already lost Rebekah! I would rather get cancer again than to watch my other sons meet the same fate." "Don't speak such insolent words!" Mikael told her, as he continued analyzing the photo.

 **A/N: We will have a couple more chapters until the story will meet its end. Either until chapter 24 or 25. I haven't decided yet. Next chapter is going to have the final battle between the Mikaelsons and the Salvatores, with the ladies finally stepping up and showing they are mobster wives indeed.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	22. The Mikaelson Wives

**In the previous chapter of Corrupted Souls, Klaus and Hayley had a fallout after Hayley revealed the complicated secret she had been keeping from him for some time now. Camille convinced Elijah that Mikael should not go unpunished for the many mistakes he has made in his family and in the Board too. Hayley was given the right to be the new doctor of the Charity Hospital in New Orleans, while Sophie had to deal with a blackout of her husband because of the drugs, as well as revealing to Esther and Mikael that she is pregnant. At last, Klaus, Kol and Elijah were captured by Giuseppe and his crew.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Hayley, Camille and Davina are determined to get their husbands back from the Salvatores, as they search up allies in order to help them succeed. Mikael teaches them the art of surviving as well as revealing some of his adventures with his former friend from Mystic Falls. Giuseppe and Jane Anne talk about the future they can have together, before he presents her with one of the rarest pieces of jewelry in the world. Hayley meets up with her mother and father to discuss her issues, and meanwhile, Damon and Katherine have an intense argument about Giuseppe's wishes. The final battle between the Salvatores and the Mikaelsons is presented, as couples are mended and some are destroyed.**

* * *

 _You should have backed off while you still had a chance, Mikael. Now, you are going to pay the price for what has happened. The 500.000 $ have always belonged to me and not to anyone else. War is what you wanted and war is exactly what you will get. I made the first move…what will be yours, I wonder?_ Hayley read the message over and over again and she couldn't help but let tears fall from her eyes the moment her eyes wondered over the photo of her beloved husband, the man she loved, dangling from the wall along with his brothers, bleeding, waiting for someone to come to his rescue for once. Cami sat down and hugged her, saying, "We will get them back. You will see. Hayley, they have faced worse than this." "How can you be so calm? Don't you worry about Elijah one bit?" Hayley asked her. Camille bit her lip and whispered, "Of course I worry for him but I also know that panicking is not going to do him any good either. We need to pull ourselves together, if we can hope for them to get back to us." She tried to hug her but Hayley pushed her away. "We are Mobster wives for God's sake! There must be something we can do. We can't just sit around in this hospital and do nothing!"

Camille shook her head and responded, "Mikael told us not to do anything reckless that might lose us any sort of stability that we have in our family. We should just wait and see what he suggests we do." "And what is he doing?" "He is making some phone calls to the other members of the Board, apparently." "Cami, this is your uncle behind this. Maybe there is someone you can talk to. Maybe you can try to reason with your uncle…" "No. I have made up my mind the last time I spoke to Uncle Kieran. If I call him now, it will only make matters worse. He wants me on the Salvatore side, but I won't have it. And now that he has helped Giuseppe take Elijah away from me, it is obvious that he doesn't feel any remorse for what he has put me through. The Mikaelsons are my family now. My name itself is Camille Mikaelson. Uncle Kieran and Gia mean nothing to me now." "What about your other half-brother, Sean?" Hayley asked, hopefully. Cami immediately shook her head saying, "We never talked much. He doesn't care about what happens to me, Hayley. He really doesn't."

"But you told me that he is back in town." "Yes, and he has been taken under my uncle's wing. He does everything that Uncle Kieran tells him to do. It's no use." The blonde looked around and asked, "Where is Sophie?" "She is with Finn in the room." "Well at least she has nothing to worry about. Her husband has not been kidnapped." Hayley looked shocked for a moment as she whispered, "What are you talking about? Finn is there battling the heroin he has just induced for days in his system. And not to mention that Sophie is pregnant!" "Sophie is pregnant?" Cami asked, shocked. "Yes." "Oh God…I'm sorry. Of course she is in just as much pain as we all are." Cami whispered and covered her eyes. The doors to the waiting room opened and Mikael walked inside, with Esther hot on his heels. "To whom have you been speaking to? What is the next move? What do we do?" Hayley bombarded him with questions. Mikael looked at the young girl with her hands crossed over her chest. "You seem to care a lot about this situation." "I am Klaus' wife and I love him. Of course I care!" Hayley snapped at him.

Mikael, not bothered this time by Hayley's attitude, replied, "I have been in contact with every member of the Board. They are going to help us retrieve my sons, but we cannot move right away." "And why not?" "Because we don't have a plan." Esther responded for her husband, making Hayley roll her eyes. "We don't need a plan for this. We are all mobsters dealing with mobsters. All we need to do is pull out a few guns and start shooting." Mikael let out a laugh, making Hayley look at him, outraged. "I don't understand how you can find something like this funny when your own children are involved in this feud between you and Giuseppe! And you have the nerve to ask me if I care!" "Hayley! Please!" Esther exclaimed and held up her hand for her to stop talking, as Mikael was already showing fury on his face. Camille stood up and went to stand by Hayley, as Mikael approached both of them and growled, "You are both young and naïve. You don't know anything there is to know about this business and with the superficiality that you're showing, you never will." Seeing the look of anger on Hayley's face, Cami decided for it to be best if she intervened and said, "We just want our husbands back. What can we do to help?" Hayley rolled her eyes at Cami's soft voice.

"I am not sure that all the members of the Board agree to go into a lion's den in order to rescue my sons. Sometimes, I like to think that they are professionals and they know the business, so they will find a way out of this mess without me having to force other people and myself in it, but thinking about it more closely, I realize that you cannot defeat Giuseppe Salvatore, unless you have a plan, a very well-structured plan." "Then I suggest you speak to my mother about that. She has lots of ideas. I am guessing that is why you invited her into the Board in the first place." Hayley told him. Mikael smirked and said in a whisper, "Why don't you do that? Because it seems that your parents are the ones who are too much cowards, backing out of this fight." "My parents would help me." "You might be eager to save Niklaus from this tragedy, but your parents aren't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to see through other sources how it is possible that my three sons have been captured. What was Giuseppe's tactic?" Putting the phone to his ear, Mikael called someone else. Cami pulled at Hayley's hand. "He is right. Let's go talk to your mother about this. There is no time to waste." "He doesn't care about Klaus." Hayley whispered. "Of course he does, but he is right, Hayley. You must be objective about this whole thing."

…

Jack opened the door this time instead of the maid, being sure that it was someone important. "Hayley!" he exclaimed in surprise as his daughter flung herself into his arms and hugged him. "Did you see the photo?" she asked as she started sobbing. Jack tried to soothe her as he replied, "Yes, my dear. I know that Niklaus is in trouble." "Then you have to do something for him. Mikael doesn't want to do anything to save his own sons!" "I find that hard to believe. Perhaps he simply does not want to rush into things. It's dangerous and Giuseppe Salvatore is a clever man." "Then why did he tell me that you refuse to cooperate? Davina's parents are in and so are Sophie's. What about you?" Jack bit his lip and answered, "Your mom does not agree." "WHY NOT?" Hayley exclaimed as Cami went by her side and rubbed her shoulder. "We should just talk about this. Negotiate something. We were all supposed to stick together and confront the Salvatores. Mikael was right. They are the enemy, the enemy in our city." Jack frowned at her and said, "You do know that your uncle and your sister are working with the Salvatores now, don't you?" "Yes, but I am not an O'Connell anymore. I am a Mikaelson and I am going to stand by my husband and his family." Hayley pulled back from her father and wiped away her eyes. "And so will I." "Hayley…" "No! If you don't want to get involved, fine! But Klaus…I love him! I won't leave him!"

After a moment of silence, there were steps which could be heard and Annabelle approached them. "Hayley!" "Is it true, Mother?" "Is what true?" "You don't want to have anything to do with saving my husband!" "I am thinking about this family's safety. You should be doing the same. Mikael has been lying to us for long enough and the Salvatores are his enemies, not ours." "But now because we are all part of the Board, we are all involved. And I am not going to sit here and do nothing while Klaus is being tortured." Annabelle shook her head and took her hands in hers. "Hayley, this marriage was an alliance, my dear." "Alliance or not, I am in love with him, Mother." Annabelle parted her lips as her daughter repeated, "I love him and the last time we spoke…I told him the truth about my heritage. That I am not a true Marshall by blood." "Hayley?" Cami asked, in shock. She turned to the blonde and nodded, "It's true. I told Klaus, and you are the third person who knows now. My mom and dad are not my biological parents, and Esther now knows too." "So this is the secret she has been keeping from Elijah and me. Hayley, we are friends. You should have told me." "It was a secret that I was supposed to take to the grave but I couldn't keep it anymore from Klaus, even though the whole purpose is to keep it from Mikael." Hayley turned to Jack and Annabelle and whispered, "I'm sorry. But I couldn't keep it a secret any longer. I thought I was going to explode."

"And what did Klaus say when you told him?" Jack asked. "We had a fight. And he told me that he can't cope with the fact that I lied to him. We didn't speak since then. And he didn't show up at the hospital to check on Finn because of me. Because he knew that I would be there. And it's my fault that he has been captured." "Hayley, don't be silly. Elijah and Kol were at the hospital and they were captured too. Don't worry! We will get them back." Jack nodded, "Cami is right. Giuseppe's purpose is to attract Mikael into his home, not to kill his sons. Mikael is the target." Cami shook her head. "We all are the targets. Giuseppe wants to eliminate all of the Mikaelsons, including their wives. But he needs to take down Mikael first to ensure that." She was making some very good points and using that, Hayley looked into her mother's eyes and whispered, "Please just do this for me. We must save them and destroy the enemy." Looking at one another, Jack and Annabelle finally nodded. "So what do you suggest, Mom? What do we do?" Hayley asked with a hopeful smile on her face. "You want my opinion?" "Mikael asked for your opinion. He told us to come to you." "And where is he?" "At the hospital. Some police officers stopped by, searching for suspects on the Geralds' disappearances." "I see…and are they suspecting Mikael for anything?" Jack asked. "No, not yet."

"Put me Mikael on the phone, please." Annabelle finally said and Hayley handed her the phone, as she retired in a more quiet place to speak. "I know it may seem difficult for you to understand, Father. But I really do love Klaus, and I want to get the chance to resolve our conflicts…" "Hayley, I told you this was not the way to go through with this marriage. No feelings involved. This was just business." "But you can't help falling in love with someone, Dad and I have fallen in love with him." "And how does he feel about you?" he asked her. Hayley's mind went to the night he practically professed his love for her without using words. _Klaus looked up at the clock as it chimed midnight and Hayley blushed as she saw the seductive smile on his face. "Happy Birthday, my love." He said to her before leaning over and catching her lips in his, in a very warm and yet passionate kiss. She graciously accepted it, as he pulled her up in his arms, her legs getting wrapped around his waist, and he headed them over to the mattress he had specially laid out for them there, before the party. She moaned lightly with a smile on her face as his lips traveled from her neck to her stomach. Knowing that he was finally making her his, he pulled the sheets over them and made love to her as passionately as possible._ "Hayley!" She looked up, realizing she had been lost in thought. "I am certain that he loves me, Dad. And I will fight for him this time."

Annabelle came back, giving the phone to her daughter and saying, "I spoke to Mikael, and we have managed to come to an understanding. What we need is the element of surprise. You girls will be going to save the Mikaelson brothers." Cami looked shocked. "What are you talking about? We can't go. We are unprepared." "Mikael is expecting you at home right now and in the training room, to teach you what you need to know." "But we don't have time for this!" Hayley exclaimed. "Hayley, you won't be alone. It is you girls who will start the battle and we will intervene when they won't expect it. You said that you want to fight for your husband. Now, you have your chance." Hayley was looking impatiently as she finally gave up and asked, "How much time do we have?" "Giuseppe called Mikael and he gave him an hour to make up his mind if he wants to come for his sons or not." "So we are another type of bait in this feud between Mikael and Giuseppe?" Hayley asked her mother. "No! Right now, you are wasting time with all of these questions! If you are so keen to save Klaus then you must do as you're told! Go to Mikael and he will explain everything!" Annabelle snapped at her. Hayley, without looking any longer at her parents, left angrily with Cami by her side.

…

"Do you think that it was right to capture Mikael's sons? He is going to have a fit of rage." Jane Anne asked Giuseppe, as they both lay naked in bed together. "That is precisely what I want. He is going to come for his sons sooner or later. I gave him an hour to think about his options. The moment he comes, my sons will be ready and we will attack him. The moment Mikael is dead, I will grated a free pass to become the new President of the Board. If the other members choose to follow me, just as Kieran had, they will live. If not, they will share the same fate as their former President." They lay silently until there was a knock on the door and Stefan's voice could be heard. "Father, someone is at the door for you with a package." Jane Anne looked panicked for a minute as she asked, "Is it possible that it's from Mikael?" Giuseppe chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, you have nothing to worry about, my sweetheart." Putting on pants and a shirt, Giuseppe came outside, facing Stefan. "How are our…guests?" "Damon is guarding with Katherine." "I see. And what of Caroline?" "I don't want her around that guy, Father! I told you!" "You find it inhumane that I used your wife as bait to get Klaus here?"

"I don't like it that she still seems to have a thing for him." Giuseppe placed his hand on Stefan's shoulder and whispered, "You have nothing to worry about. His eyes and ears are all for his darling little wife, who is probably mourning her husband's future death as we speak." "You don't think their wives have it in them to face us?" Stefan asked and Giuseppe burst out laughing. "Son, what have I told you before? A woman is not made to do a man's dirty work. She is incapable of that. You keep your wife in check as Damon keeps hers and everything will be fine. The moment I take over the Mafia Board of this city, our family is going to be twice as richer." Sighing, Stefan asked, "Father, don't you think that we may be going too far with this? And you and Jane Anne? She is close to my age, Father, how can you be with her?" "I get along with her just fine…and you better get used to it, because very soon after this job is done, she is going to be your future step-mother." Smirking, Giuseppe went to the door and took the package that was brought to him. Taking it upstairs, he saw that Jane Anne was already dressed. "What is it? Do you think it can be a bomb?" "Not at all. It is something I ordered for us to keep. Custom made for you, in fact." Pulling out the object from the box, Jane Anne gasped.

"The black diamond!" she exclaimed and took it in her hands, examining its texture carefully. "It's so heavy." "15 kg, to be more exact, according to the guy who sold it to me for a substantial amount of money, but with a strong body like yours, I am sure that you can hold it." Jane Anne laughed and whispered, "But what am I supposed to do with such an amazing jewel?" Giuseppe tapped his chin and whispered, "Why don't you consider it an engagement present for me? It may replace the ring you have to uncomfortably wear on your finger." Laughing, Jane Anne placed the diamond on the table and ran into Giuseppe's arms, hugging him. "Promise me that you are going to end this fast." "I promise you, my sweet." They kissed passionately, moving towards the bed again and taking off their clothes. Damon, the eldest son, was just outside the door, listening in to what they were saying. Chuckling at the beginning of another intimate moment between their father and that young woman, Damon turned to Katherine, who was standing there with a frown on her face and her hands crossed over her chest. "What did you hear?" she asked. Damon simply rolled his eyes and headed into the basement, where Klaus, Elijah and Kol Mikaelson were all dangling from the wall.

"It seems that my papa has bought the young Miss. Deveraux a bold and black diamond to keep." Damon said as he played with a pistol he had in his hands. Katherine wrapped her hands around his neck and asked seductively, "And what else?" Damon groaned and pushed her away. "What more would you like to hear?" "I don't like this whole plan of his, Damon! Your father is crazy, and he is not thinking straight, blinded to get revenge! It's not like I give a damn about what happens to these Mikaelson fools, and their bitches of wives, but I don't want to go down, along with this plan!" Damon looked at her with curiosity. "You think this plan is going down the drain?" "Yes, and we need to pull ourselves together and get out of here before the cops start investigating more murders." "Mikael is the only suspect for the Geralds and hell, he should be. He and his sons killed them, along with that Rebekah girl. Besides, the cops are controlled by Kieran. He has his connection s which we use. As long as Kieran is on our side, he is going to make sure the cops search through the Mikaelson side of the street, not the Salvatore one." Damon then looked up to see Klaus, dangling, with bloodshot eyes, growling, "When I get loose, I am going to murder all of you, rip out your body parts piece by piece." "Yeah, you do that!" Damon responded, rolled his eyes again and left the room with Katherine behind him.

"Anything you would like to add to our little conversation, sweetheart?" Damon popped up another gun and checked the bullets as Katherine had her hands on her hips. "I want to forget about this whole thing and go back home. Before these guys were kidnapped, Caroline and I actually ran into the wife of Klaus, that Hayley, when we were shopping." "Father warned you about these shopping experiences…" "That's not the point! The point is that Hayley and the rest of them wives have more balls than we thought. And I already had trouble facing that bitch, and I don't want any more trouble now. Damon, please, let's just go home." He snorted. "You think that my father is going to let us leave? Even if I do agree with you, which I don't, we're not leaving this place. Father's orders." "Well, your father seems more interested in staying in his room, hooking up with that bimbo and letting us do all the dirty work." "If he were here to hear the way you speak…" "You know what? I don't give a damn! Just leave me alone already if you don't care enough to be the husband I thought you would be!" Angry, Katherine stormed away, leaving Damon with his thoughts.

…

An hour was exactly all they had. "The element of surprise. Remember that! The moment you enter that house, you need to be prepared for the impossible and you need to be quieter than a mouse. Let's hear that again!" Mikael yelled out, as Hayley, Davina and Camille pointed their guns for the aim and shot the best they could, with both of their eyes open. "Closing one eye is the crappiest thing you could do out there." "But cops always close one eye before they shot. The aim is better." Davina commented and Mikael snorted. "Closing one eye proves that you are not good enough, and considering that mobsters like us have taken over this city, I am not sure that New Orleans happens to have competent cops. You keep both your eyes open and you will be twice as prepared! AGAIN!" The girls shot and Mikael nodded. "It would have helped to have Sophie with us as she is an excellent shooter. Unfortunately for you, her husband has not been kidnapped, so you will not be receiving her help. Understood?" The girls nodded as Mikael clapped his hands together. "We will be a few miles away from the house. We will have it surrounded. The moment you feel like there is something you can't handle, you press this button on the remote and we will come inside." Mikael handed Hayley the remote.

"Why did it have to come to this? Your sons have done nothing to Giuseppe." Hayley whispered. Mikael took a deep breath and whispered, "Well, I have, and unfortunately, whoever is a part of my family now is in danger, which is why we must go there and eliminate the enemy." "And then what? It's not like they don't have friends, allies…they will be coming after us. There is no question of it." "You let me worry about that and right now, focus on getting your husband back." "Why can't you and Giuseppe just work things out? You said that the two of you were friends and you wanted to unite New Orleans and Mystic Falls Mafia communities. What happened?" "That poker night happened. You know damn well." Mikael growled. "And what else?" Mikael looked like he was hesitating but then said, "The love of a woman. He also fancied Adrianna when we were younger and he used to visit New Orleans more regularly. Richard had been the one to take her as his wife before either of us could." Hayley was shocked and she covered her mouth with her hand. "And despite what you felt for her, you killed her."

"Hayley, as you happen to know, my love for Adrianna was a very superficial one. I was young and I was unexperienced, as was Giuseppe. We liked the same things and this young woman was one of those things. But I cannot deny that things have changed now. I am a grown man, and I love my wife, more than anything else." "I know you do but…" "But nothing!" Mikael snapped and pointed at the clock. "How much time do you think Giuseppe is going to be waiting?" Davina was on the verge of shedding tears as she said, "You want us to go in there alone and kill them." "They won't be expecting you. Giuseppe and his sons believe that women are incompetent, and cannot battle with them. You go in and save your husbands. Now." Hayley, Davina and Camille looked at each other and finally, they nodded. "It's time. It's going to be okay. I promise you. Just think of something which makes you really angry, and you will gain more courage for yourself." Hayley advised Davina. Mikael came to them with guns, the latest in the market and of course, gas bombs. He looked at Hayley carefully and said, "The moment you know it's right, you fire these. Just like with the Geralds. I put my faith in you to get my sons back, and use the remote when things go too far."

…

It was silence throughout the entire house. Using all of the gadgets given to her by Mikael, Hayley entered the house at a slow pace. There was no whispering involved, as the girls were determined to be quieter than a fly itself. Walking up the steps of the rooms, they used a dumbwaiter, which looked like it had not been used for a long time, to search carefully through the different parts of the house. They entered a secret chamber, in a wall, which gave them a view from the basement from above. Hayley tried to control herself as she looked down and she saw Klaus, dangling from there, growling in pain as Elijah and Kol had woken up as well. They nearly gasped in shock, as they saw Stefan, Damon, Caroline and Katherine Salvatore entering the basement with many professional knives, placing them on a table. Damon smirked and exclaimed, "Alright! Since we're all waiting for your Papa, I suggest that we let the bloodletting begin, don't you think? It might give Mikael an idea to move at a quicker pace. My father is not being too patient, might I add." Katherine rolled her eyes and whispered, "Yeah, he's with his bride-to-be. What the hell does he care?" "Enough of that kind of talk against my father!" Damon snapped.

"So, who's first?" Damon asked as Caroline cackled up a small laugh, when Klaus growled, "I will kill you all." "Oh yeah, more threats. It's true that you are more like Mikael than you think you are. All talk and no action." "And I suppose you're the opposite. Is that what you're implying? If you had been the one to take action correctly, you would have freed me and my brothers so we can fight this in a fair way." Stefan asked, "You still don't realize that you are being held as a prisoner here, do you? You are not escaping, no matter what you try right now and as it seems…there is no one coming for you, so we might as well start our little presentation, while Father is upstairs taking care of other business. Damon, would you care to start?" Damon went over to Kol, who had a look of anger on his face. Before Damon could do anything, Kol spit in his face. "I don't like this little mooch." Damon growled and slid the knife across Kol's chest, making him groan in pain as blood poured out. Davina covered her mouth with her hands to stop herself from yelling out, her eyes filled with pain as she watched Kol. Katherine then moved to Elijah, playing with the knife across his abdomen.

"You are quite the handsome one." She said, smirking, making Damon growl at her tease. "This is not a time I would appreciate such comments, Katherine!" "What? He is gorgeous, compared to his wife. Gia was right. She does need to lose some weight." Camille was clenching her fists. "Now." The blonde mouthed, angrily at Hayley, but the brunette shook her head, trying to remain calm herself. They had an advantage. Giuseppe was not there and there was surely enough time for them to act before he would arrive, from wherever he was. Katherine slid the knife across Elijah's neck, making him howl in pain as Klaus was trying to break loose. "Now." Hayley whispered and they threw the gas bombs into the room, making everyone gasp in shock and start coughing at once. Camille got down into the basement and moved to the door of the basement, closing it. The gas cleared and Hayley, Davina and Camille were pointing their guns at the people in the room. "What the hell?!" Caroline exclaimed, surprised by this entrance.

The door busted open and Kieran walked inside with a gun in his hand, pointing at the girls. "I'll cover for you. This one is mine." Camille whispered to Hayley, as she turned her back and pointed her own weapon at Kieran. The man cackled up some laughs and said, "Who do you girls think you are breaking and entering this way, without even a proper invitation. Mikael sent you here to do his dirty work? Even if you were not expected, I can see that you have failed." "You can think again." Cami whispered with a menacing look in her eyes, at the man who had raised her. "Are you really going to shoot me? Your sister is going to be here any second." "She is not my sister and you are not my uncle. I can't believe that we are remotely related. You are nothing but a traitorous bastard and she is nothing but a slutty moll!" Kieran growled and raged, "HOW DARE YOU VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE PEOPLE WHO RAISED YOU?!" "Just as easily as you have spent your life, treating me like crap and favoring Gia every chance you got because she was not born a bastard like me." "Gia was a pure blood, born from her mother and her father. As for your true mother, she was nothing but a whore, ready to spread her legs when our father was insanely sick and drunk." Cami laughed, feeling the anger bubble inside of her as she responded, "My father told me that he loved my mother for who she was, as opposed to the marriage between him and the wife who married him only for the money."

Kieran shot the fire, directly into Cami's foot, making her yell and tears streamed down her face as she fell to the ground and tears streamed down her cheeks. Davina, with bravery screamed and started shooting in Kieran's direction, as he dodged all of the bullets. Damon, Caroline, Katherine and Stefan moved to grab the knives from the table, as Hayley's gaze captured Klaus' eyes, and she was not paying attention to what was happening anymore. His eyes showed anger, but there was pain and worry in them too, as he yelled, "HAYLEY!" Hayley gasped as she saw Damon lunging at her with a knife but she shot him in the shoulder, bringing him down and at that moment, she pressed the button on the remote. As Davina continued shooting at Kieran, but with no success, he lunged at her and grabbed her by her hair, making Davina scream in pain, as Kol started yelling out as well, trying to break free of the chains. Camille had it in her might to slowly pick up her own gun from the floor, as she winced with pain at the shot in her foot and pointed it at Kieran, while he was threatening Davina with his pistol. Kieran's eyes met Camille's as the blonde's hoarse voice said, "Goodbye, and good riddance!" Before Kieran could react, he received five bullets in his chest, and he fell to the ground, as blood poured out of his mouth. Davina found it difficult to breathe, as she immediately picked up her gun again and helped Hayley, even though the hair of her skin was standing and her blood felt ice cold inside of her veins out of fear.

The door opened and Giuseppe walked inside with bloodshot eyes as he pulled out a Power M3-A1 Tactical Paintball Gun, and pointed it at the girls. Jane Anne gasped beside him. He was in shock of the dead Kieran on the ground, Camille and Damon both in pain due to being shot. Katherine was trying to tend to his wound on the shoulder, but Hayley tightened the grip on her own gun as she pointed it at her and said, "Don't you dare!" With their weapons in completely different rooms, the Salvatores were in a slight disadvantage, except Giuseppe, who had the deadliest weapon in the room. "A party? And I was not invited? I have to say that my sons cannot make an opening the way I can. I am impressed with you girls. It took a lot of courage, and for the first time, Mikael did something to surprise me. But that won't be enough to spare your lives, and his sons will follow their brides soon enough." Before he could fire, the door slammed open again and Mikael walked inside, with Esther, Annabelle, Jack, David, Nina, Robert and Mika by his side, all pointing their own guns at Giuseppe. "It's over, Giuseppe! Drop your gun and hand it over nice and easy, if you please." Giuseppe laughed and went over to the side of the wall where Klaus, Kol and Elijah were hanging. Trying his patience, Mikael yelled out, "I told you to drop your weapon!"

"And what makes you think that I would do something as foolish as that, Mikael…when, I can very easily take you out at this moment, along with your sons." "How will you manage that? You are outnumbered." "Well, for one thing…" He pressed his gun directly in the wound Klaus had on his chest and more blood gashed out as Hayley gasped, in shock. "…I have here your sons, your flesh and blood. Before any one of you can fire that bullet and get me, I can just as easily make sure that your favorite son, Niklaus dies along with me." He prepared the bullet into his gun, directly in Klaus' chest, as Hayley started shaking her head frantically. "No, please, don't hurt him. Please." She started shivering as she struggled to continue holding the gun towards the other Salvatores but was failing, as Cami tried to stay to the ground, not moving. "If you wish to do your husband here a favor, I suggest that you drop your gun." Giuseppe told her, more calmly. Jack shook his head. "Hayley, don't you do it! Don't!"

Hayley stilled and didn't move. She then closed her eyes as she felt her hands starting to shake again. "No." she said firmly and opened her eyes, just as Giuseppe growled, "I said for you to drop your gun! Now!" Everything happened quickly at that moment. Weak and wounded, Klaus found the energy to raise his legs and he wound them around Giuseppe's neck, trying to strangle him with all his might. Hayley gasped and shot, without thinking twice about it, the bullet landing in Giuseppe's leg, making him howl in pain as he landed on the floor, but not before shooting Klaus in the hip. "NOOOO!" Hayley yelled out and tried to reach him but her legs would not move. The Salvatores crawled next to one another in fear, as Stefan pulled Damon up, and his hand went around his neck. Everyone moved, as Giuseppe tried to reach his gun, but Mikael reached it before he could, pointing the gun straight into his forehead. "The limit has been reached. You have hurt my family for the last time." Before Giuseppe could respond, Mikael pulled the trigger and Giuseppe was officially dead, making Jane Anne yell out in desperation. Mikael then took Giuseppe's gun and pointed it at the Salvatore children, their wives and Jane Anne. Before he could pull the trigger, Esther placed her hand on his arm, making him stop.

"Please, Mikael. Our sons are in pain. People are wounded. No more deaths. They are not responsible for their father." Stefan and Damon had tears in their eyes as they gazed down at their dead father, but finally Mikael lowered his gun. "The only reason you are not joining him is because I cannot afford any more deaths which could lead to me. You are hereby exiled! Leave the city and never return. If you do, I promise you that I will get the police involved and you will be going to prison for a long time." Without any more hesitation, Jane Anne, pulled Stefan, Caroline, Katherine and Damon out of the basement and they left the house, hurrying to do as Mikael ordered so their lives would be spared. Mikael closed his eyes, as Esther, and the rest rushed to Klaus, Elijah and Kol and freed them of their chains, as Klaus' eyes rolled to the back of his head, wounded deeply in his hip. Camille was pulled to her feet by Jack, who was looking at Elijah, worried. "Mikael, we need the paramedics, quick! Niklaus is losing consciousness!" Esther yelled out.

As per Mikael's orders, Mika, Robert, Daniel and Nina stayed behind at the house to clean it up, using professional care, to clean up the blood, and the weapons, clearing any evidence which might lead the police to possible murders. Giuseppe's body was prepared to be dumped into the river outside of the city. Mikael, Esther, Annabelle and Jack rushed Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Camille to the hospital. Hayley and Davina followed behind with tears in their eyes as Klaus, Elijah and Kol were being carried quickly. The hospital was not far and they were able to reach it in time. Doctor Stevens was still there and she dropped her clipboard as she watched the horror in front of her eyes. "What happened now? Why are you all…how is it possible…?" she could barely speak, as Hayley stepped to her with tears in her eyes and whispered, "You will out of here and back in Canada by the end of the week. I need you to do me this favor and stop putting questions. Please, my husband has been wounded badly. He is unconscious. Please!" Eventually, Doctor Stevens nodded and Klaus was taken to the emergency room, while the wounds Elijah, Kol and Camille had gotten were not as severe as Klaus', they were sent to separate rooms, with different nurses tending to each problem, as Doctor Stevens prepared herself for the operations in the emergency room. Esther was crying in Mikael's arms, as he held her close to him and whispered, "He is going to be alright." "What if he won't be?" Hayley rushed to the emergency room and was looking out the window, as Klaus was laid down on a table, ready for surgery.

 **A/N: Lots of tragedies in this chapter, but I can assure you that this was the worst it could get. Do you think that Klaus is going to be okay or will that last bullet damage him somehow? The next few chapters that are left of the story will focus more on mending what has been broken.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	23. How Far We've Gone

**In the previous chapter, Hayley managed to receive help from her parents, along with Camille and Mikael trained them and Davina, to be prepared for the confrontation at the Salvatore household. Giuseppe revealed the Black Diamond he bought for Jane Anne, after which, Hayley, Davina and Camille broke into the Salvatore mansion, as Klaus, Kol and Elijah were being tortured by other members. At the end of the battle, Giuseppe and Kieran were shot dead, as Klaus was dangerously hurt in the hip and Camille in the foot. Rushing them to the hospital, the Mikaelson family was awaiting the results.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Hayley, Esther and Mikael have a talk about the consequences of the death of Giuseppe Salvatore. Doctor Stevens reveals the critical situation of Klaus, as Hayley goes inside the emergency room to stay with him. Finn recovers from his drug problem and is amazed by the revelations of his parents, as Sophie never leaves his side, and reveals her own good news. Camille has a panic attack, and Elijah comforts her. Meanwhile, Kol shows his amazement of his wife, as Davina tends to him. Finally, Klaus and Hayley find a way to communicate about their issues. Hayley finds herself back at her old home, in her mother's arms, as she offers her advice about the future of her marriage.**

* * *

Hayley could not bear to watch as the doctors started surgery. Turning away from seeing the pain on Klaus' face, she headed back to the waiting room, where the Mikaelson family has spent their time for the past few months. Esther was sobbing uncontrollably in Mikael's arms. It was just them and Hayley decided to sit down and reflect on what had happened. Her lips were pursed as she was sitting on that couch alone with her parents-in-law. "Have you seen him? What did he look like? Will he be okay?" Esther asked her in a whisper, as she trembled in Mikael's arms. Hayley nodded after a moment and shivered too, at the thought of something going wrong through this surgery. "You should be seeing a doctor too, Hayley. You could be wounded." Esther told her and Hayley couldn't help but smile as she replied, "Thee owners of the hospital have already hired me to be the new doctor in Stevens' place at the end of this week. I will need to be able to take care of myself if my family gets me in anymore trouble." Mikael looked up at her in anger at the revelation of this news. "Are you sure you want to take this job? What about Niklaus? You know how lonely he gets. He needs his wife, Hayley." Esther insisted, but Hayley shook her head. "I need to have a life outside of the Mikaelson family drama. What happened today…I can never stand for it to happen again."

"And it won't! I can assure you of that! But I want you to stand by my son as a Mikaelson wife should. You have been breaking the family rules and for that, I will need to talk to your parents about this." "I think you should be more worried about your sons' health, as well as the fact that the police may intervene now that Kieran is dead. Who do you think they are going to suspect for another disappearance? The Salvatores were guests of honor. Jane Anne betrayed us and her family for love of that dangerous man, and she can always talk to the police about who killed Giuseppe. What are we going to do when they come to interrogate us?" Mikael scoffed and whispered, "If that happens, then I will have no problem in showing the police documents which prove that Giuseppe and his family are mobsters. I have evidence of the many crimes Giuseppe has committed throughout the years." Hayley eyed him and asked, "And how about the many crimes you have committed?" "Hayley, please, this is not the time…" Esther began but Mikael cut her off. "What are you trying to say to me?" "That maybe you should start seeing that your actions reflect badly on your entire family and have severe consequences on your own flesh and blood. You should start thinking about your sons more than yourself." With that, Hayley stood up and left the room as Mikael growled, "Terrible manners, that girl has. Does not know to whom she speaks."

Esther looked towards him and said, "She is good for Niklaus. I have never seen him at peace. For a while I used to believe that Caroline was his one, since he spent a lot of time with her, but the connection he shares with Hayley…" "Esther, it is inevitable for two people to fall in love when they marry one another. I thought that I would make my sons stronger by keeping them from this type of love. Apparently, I have not succeeded and I have even encouraged them to love by marrying them to these girls." "But there is nothing wrong with this, Mikael. Love is a beautiful thing, something which should be accepted in the life of a man and a woman. Rebekah believed in love…" "And she died for it! Do I need to remind you of that?" Esther's lip trembled but she said, "Yes, she did die for what she believed. She was like you in so many ways, Mikael. You were different when you were younger." "We were both different and we were both naïve. Love does not represent the rainbow in the life of a mobster, and my sons are soon going to realize that." "And what do you want them to do? Ignore their wives?" "No. I want them to understand the responsibilities they have been given as men, and let go of childish behavior." "Finn and Sophie are having a child." "Yes, exactly what I mean. Responsibilities. An important aspect parents must take in consideration. The fun is over."

She entered the place she feared and saw Doctor Stevens coming to her at once. "What are you doing here?" "Have you done operating? How is he?" Hayley asked her, ignoring her question. Doctor Stevens sighed as she watched the worry on Hayley's face and she whispered, "We have just finished. He won't be able to get out of bed for a couple of days. The impact would be too dangerous." "So is he going to stay at the hospital?" "No. You can move him home, but you will need an ambulance to help you with that. Hayley, you need to tell me what happened. Is this family not what it seems or are you just filled with bad luck?" Hayley couldn't help but smile a little at the humor Doctor Stevens was showing even in such critical times and replied, "I think it would be best for everyone if you don't know what is happening. Trust me." Rolling her eyes, Doctor Stevens nodded and motioned for the others to leave once they had finished. "He has been given a sedative to put him to sleep for a couple of hours. There was lots of damage to his hip and he needs days of recovery but I think he will be fine, eventually." Smiling, Hayley nodded as Doctor Stevens touched her forehead. "You seem to be fine. No injuries, right?" "No, thank you. I am okay." Hayley responded. "Alright! Clear out and let's let Mrs. Mikaelson have a moment with her husband!" Doctor Stevens called out and then winked at Hayley with a smile.

The moment she was alone, Hayley headed over to the bed and took a seat there, analyzing the face of the man she loved. He looked peaceful, so unlike the expression on his face a few hours before, when people were shot, some were wounded and some were killed. She took a seat on the chair that has been placed for her and she touched his hand softly, remembering the last time they had spoken. He had lashed out at her for not revealing that she did not have Marshall Blood in her system. Her heart ached as she remembered how he had yelled at her. All the memories were so heartbreaking and her head was pounding with them. _"Please, my parents begged me to enter this marriage, keeping this secret. How could we admit to you that I am not a true Marshall? Mikael would have never allowed this marriage to happen and my family would have been ruined." "And instead, you chose to lie to me." "But nothing has changed. I am the same person that I was when I married you. I am the same person, just not a Marshall by blood, but I was raised by them as a baby. Don't do this, Klaus, please. I love you. Look at me. I love you and I…I hoped that you would look past this, because you love me too. I know you do." "You tricked me." Klaus whispered, but Hayley started shaking her head, desperately, as she held onto him for her life. "Klaus, look past this. I am sorry, but I had to do this for my family. Please don't tell your father!" she begged with tears brimming in her eyes. "That is all that interests you, isn't it? My father not finding out of your lies."_

There was a groan which snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked down on the bed and noticed that his fingers were twitching and he was frowning. Maybe because of the pain he still felt from the shot in his hip. "Klaus, I'm here." Hayley whispered and leaned over, pressing her lips against his, just as she knew he had done when she was in a coma. But this was not enough. She didn't know what he wanted from their relationship anymore. Could he forgive her for not telling him before about herself and the promise she had made to her parents? What if he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore? His eyelids were opening slowly and Hayley's breathing hitched as she tightened the grip on his hand, accidently sending pain through it and she immediately let go when she heard him groan. "Klaus." She whispered and caressed his stubble when his eyes finally opened and he was looking towards her. She was nervous. His hand reached out to her own hand, which was cupping his cheek…and pushed it away. Hayley's heart sank, as she realized that no matter what happened with the Salvatores, and how she had risked her life to save his, it didn't matter to him, compared to what she kept a secret for so long. "What you did…was foolish." He growled, sending a wave of shock through her body.

Realizing that he was in no mood for her to show any concern for him, Hayley cleared her throat and put on a serious face, distancing her body from his. "I did what was my duty to protect my husband, applying the rules of your family." She was trying to protect her heart. She didn't want to find it broken at the way he was constantly rejecting her. She couldn't bear to go through more pain. Klaus looked around at the machines to which he was connected and then winced as he looked down at his bandaged hip. Hayley tried showing zero emotion, as she took a deep breath. "They got you into surgery in time and fixed you. I think it would be wise to thank all of these doctors who have saved your life, considering that they will be my colleagues soon enough." Klaus' expression changed and for some reason, he started showing more anger to her words. "I would expect you to be at home from now on, where you belong, as my wife." He growled and tried standing up but couldn't because of the pain. "You will be taken care of, I can assure you, Klaus. But as for my future job here, it is not you who is going to dictate what I do and when I do it. I have a job, a responsibility to save people's lives. There are people who will benefit from my knowledge I gained from Harvard." "May I remind you that you are a married woman?" "I am not like your mother. I will not stay at home and be the good little housewife. I am getting work for myself."

Hayley stood up and was prepared to leave the room when she felt a tug at her hand and she turned to look at him, with hope in her heart that he had given up on the idea of being cruel to her, and realized that they needed to move on together. She loved him and she knew that he loved her. She was his one, the first woman he had the courage to kiss on the lips, when Rebekah had told her that he would never do that, to avoid sentimental attachment. He had intimacy issues and her being in his life…helped him heal from that. He had opened himself to her, more than he had wanted, but because of what she had hidden from him, that very important secret, Hayley could feel everything falling apart between them, and everything they had built together. "You are not going anywhere until I tell you to." He growled and Hayley frowned at him, putting on a straight face and hissing, "I am not your prisoner, Klaus!" Hearing the anger in her voice, he finally pulled his hand away from her and watched her leave the emergency room. Hayley's heart sank as she recognized the look he gave her. It was a look of contempt he used to give her at the beginning of their alliance, and even though she knew that they have gone so far since that moment…it was heartbreaking to think that one small mistake from her and his stubbornness have managed to get them back where they started.

…

Finn groaned with pain as the doctors gave him another doze of the acid which would purify his blood of any drug formula. Doctor Stevens noted something down on her pad and opened the door. Mikael and Esther walked inside, with permission and they gazed down at their son, who was laying there, with Sophie right next to him. She took a deep breath and took his hand in hers as she asked, "How are you?" There were a few tears which dripped from her eyes and she wiped them at once, when she saw that Mikael and Esther were looking at her. Finn's attention turned to his wife and he rubbed her fingers, saying, "Better. What happened?" he asked when he saw his mother looking like hell. "Giuseppe Salvatore had captured your brothers. We saved them in time, and…managed to eliminate the enemy." Mikael explained and Finn's eyes widened in shock. "What? They're gone? What the hell? I missed all the fun, staying here." Sophie slapped his shoulder and growled, "You asked for it, drugging yourself like that to no end." Finn suddenly looked embarrassed as Mikael pointed a finger at him. "Do not think that you won't be punished for this. You are a Mikaelson warrior, and this is not how warriors treat themselves…no matter the cause." "Yes, Father." Finn answered.

"I believe that we should leave the two of you alone. Sophie might have something that she would like to tell you." Esther said and nodded at Sophie politely, retreating with her husband. Finn leaned his head back on the pillow and groaned once again. "What? Are you in more pain?" Sophie asked. "Yeah. I got a huge headache, due to the information I get. Nothing fun happens when I'm awake but when I am knocked out, there goes the action…and as I hear it, my brothers got all the attention." He laughed but Sophie frowned. "That is not funny. They were in great trouble, and they could have died if your father hadn't thought of a good plan in time." "So, you have been showing off your gun shots, haven't you?" he asked her and she couldn't help but blush and shake her head. "No. I have been here with you." She told him, surprising him at that moment. "Is that so? Why?" "What do you mean why? You are my husband and as your wife, it is my duty to take care of you." Finn smirked and replied, "You know that we are no longer in the 18th century, right?" "Yes, but the Mikaelson rules state…" "Since when do you care about those rules?"

"Since, I am now going to be a bigger part of this family, and I find it fitting to honor whatever Goddamn rules your father imposes." Sophie answered and covered her stomach with her hand. Looking up, Finn couldn't help but gasp a little as he watched that gesture of hers. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. Sophie was surprised by what he asked, as if he would not allow this to happen, but with courage in her heart, she told him, "I am carrying your child." His eyes dropped to her stomach and his mouth curled up a little in shock at what she was saying. "Is that true?" he asked softly, sitting up with pain and touching her stomach lightly. "You should lie back down." Sophie said as she watched him flinch. She pushed him back down and got on top of him, making him burst out laughing. "There's the sexy woman I call my wife. Where have you been?" Sophie growled and slapped him again saying, "Stop being so kinky! And I have been by you all this time. You just never cared enough because you took your precious drugs!" Finn covered her mouth with his hand and used the other hand to caress her thigh, as she was laying on top of him. "What is with this position, Soph?" "I wanted you to be able to touch my stomach easier, without standing up from the bed."

"And you thought right. My head is spinning like crazy." He sighed as he looked into her eyes and whispered, "You are having my child. I cannot believe this. I never thought this day would come…that I would be a parent." "I never thought that we would ever have a child. And I…I thought that I would get to live my life before all of this…" "Are you regretting getting pregnant?" "No, of course not! This is our baby and I love it already. I simply worry because I want to be a good mother, but I don't know how." "Do you think I know anything about being a father? We will learn with time, Soph. You don't need to worry." When she didn't say anything, he lifted her chin and made her look at him. "Something else is troubling you. Tell me." "Jane Anne…my sister was on the Salvatore side. She betrayed our family, and now she is gone." "Dead?" Finn asked. "No. Just gone. Exiled, because she fell in love with the biggest bastard of them all." Wiping away what tears she had left, Sophie leaned her head on his chest, breathing in deeply, as he covered her body with his hands. "I'm sorry." He whispered and Sophie was surprised. "Sorry for what?" "For what I have put you through. For my drug addiction." "You were in pain. I should have been more understanding."

…

"Ouch!" Camille exclaimed as the doctors finished fixing up her leg. She stared down at her bandaged foot and groaned, knowing that it could take weeks before the pain would disappear after that bullet. She took a seat on the bed of the room just as the door opened and Elijah walked inside, to her surprise. He was wearing nothing but pants and his chest was bandaged. A bruise was visible on his eye and Cami gasped as he stepped over, limping a little and pulled her in a tight embrace. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be out of bed, Elijah." She touched his cheek as he shook his head, whispering, "I had to be here with you. When I heard of how much you had suffered because of my father…" "No. Hayley, Davina and I agreed to come and find you. I love you, Elijah." His eyes widened at her words and she smiled, hopelessly, saying, "Hard to believe that I love you?" "Camille, you are by no means forced…" "What? You think that someone is forcing me to admit what I feel for you? This is what I feel, Elijah. You have made me feel safe, secure and happy for the first time in my life. You have offered me the care that my family never bothered to. You're the only one who calls me constantly by my full name…How can I not love you?" He did look surprised for that one moment, but chose to hide it as to not reveal too much of his emotions at such a terrible time.

"I must admit that I am surprised, but I don't deny my feelings for you either. I like knowing how you feel and how I feel match." Elijah responded and cupped her cheek, kissing her passionately. The moment they pulled back, Cami winced as she felt the pain in her foot. Worried, Elijah walked over to her and picked her up in his arms, carrying her back into the bed. "Elijah, we are both hurt and we have to learn how to deal with this." "Since you are my wife, I have to take care of you, don't I?" She smiled as he sat on the bed with her. Cami leaned her head on his shoulder as Elijah started caressing it softly. "Tell me what has happened while I was captured." "Finn has recovered." "I see…I hope he will learn from his mistakes." "Yes, especially since Sophie is pregnant." She smiled to herself as she realized that this is the bright future that was awaiting the two of them too. "My uncle is dead." She finally stated and Elijah looked at her, "Yes, I know. How does that affect you?" "It does not." Cami snapped. "Camille…" "No! My uncle betrayed me and so did my sister." "Your sister is alive and she is the only family you have left." "I also have Sean." "From what you have told me, the two of you have barely spoken to one another since you moved in with your uncle." "Yes, that's true." "They are your siblings."

"What point are you trying to make here?" Cami asked, raising her head from his shoulder and wincing again at the pain she felt in her foot. Elijah looked at her for a moment, bent down, picked up the bandaged foot and started massaging it carefully. "Does that feel better?" he asked her with a smile and she nodded. "My point, Camille is that you have always been the one to encourage me to look after my family. I am doing that, but in return, I ask of you to not leave yours behind. Can you do that? Please." They were looking at one another for a while until finally, she nodded at him, but added, "I just want to rest. I have been through a lot today." "Yes, you have. You have risked your life to save mine and for that, I will be forever in your debt." He kissed her forehead but she rolled her eyes. "I already told you that I did what any wife would have done in my place. A wife who cares for her husband and his family. Your family is my family, and to be honest, I have felt better treated here than I have ever felt with my own family. Every day when I would serve at Rousseau's…I felt horrible thinking that I would have to go home and face my uncle after that." "I promise to keep you safe." They closed their eyes and rested against each other peacefully.

…

Davina was shaking, as she entered his room. She had killed someone. She had killed a mobster who was under the pretense of a priest. But the horror stroke her even more as she saw the bruises on Kol's face, and the wounds on his body. "Oh my God! Are you okay?" she asked him with a look of terrible worry as the doctor left the room and let the two of them have a talk. "I have been made a fool out of myself, dangling from the wall like that with a knife into my chest, so what do you think, darling?" he asked her with that British accent of his. Davina frowned and whispered, "You don't have to be so rude about it. I just wanted to know if you feel okay now. As for what happened a few hours ago, trust me that I have a pretty good idea! I killed someone!" she snapped at him and then went over to the table, picking up a bandage, adding some acid on it and pressed it to his wound, sending him in a great amount of pain. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" he called out and then breathed in heavily as she looked up at him and said, "I am helping!" "No you are not, you're…" Davina pulled the bandage from him and dropped it to the ground. "Fine. I'll call a nurse to do this for you." Kol looked surprised at what she was planning on doing and before she could leave, he called out to her. "No, please, wait!" Davina opened the door but stopped and smiled to herself.

"Why should I stay? I am not welcome. I can't even follow my duty as a wife by you." "I want you here. I'm sorry, darling…no need to get your panties in a wad." He mumbled the last part to himself as Davina closed the door and picked up the bandage, putting it after oiling his wounds, back on his chest, as Kol watched her. "You have killed…" "Yes. I was responsible for the priest's death, even though Cami shot." Davina snapped in a whisper and felt the tears brimming in her eyes. She sighed and continued helping with his wounds and even when she had finished, he had not kept his eyes away from her face. She was angelic…beautiful…very supportive and kind…but not to him, because of the way he had treated her since they got married and even before that. "Are you okay?" he asked her, not knowing what else he could say. She was about to give him a sarcastic response when he put his hands up in surrender and said, "Hey, okay. I get it. You killed someone, but not directly. That is fine." "No, it's not!" she replied, desperately trying to cover her face but the tears fell anyway. She suddenly looked around in surprise as she saw his legs wrapping themselves around her and they pulled him into his arms, as she gasped at the touch and the closeness of their bodies. "You're going to have to get used to this, darling. It's the only way you'll make it."

"No! I don't have to take it. I don't have to accept it because it's not me. I never wanted any of this to happen. I wanted to go to college and start my life, not remain a housewife because I married at the youngest age possible. I never wanted my parents to get involved with yours because I knew that disaster and chaos will fall upon us. I never wanted Sophie to get involved either. I wanted to be with my friends. I wanted to study, I wanted to explore the world…I wanted so much more out of this and now…" No longer bearing to stand her words that her wish was to leave him, to leave this family, he pulled her over to him and kissed her gently. She felt those soft lips on hers and realized that she hadn't felt them since their wedding night. Moaning gently, she felt his arms wrap around her and bring her closer, despite the wounds which have not healed yet. She accepted this, because maybe deep down, it is what she had craved for a long time, and she wanted more. But just as his hands started fumbling with her pants, Davina broke their kiss and pulled back, wiping her mouth angrily, as the tears still fell from her eyes. "Why did you do that? What do you want from me?" she asked, leaving him surprised.

She saw that he was confused so she pointed a finger at him and made it clear, "You have not been given the permission to do this to me!" "Davina, I…" "No, you have no right, not even as my husband, for what you have done to me, for everything that you have put me through! My body is something I won't allow you to have and as for my heart, you will never have it." Kol stared at her and he had no idea that her heart was shattering with every word that came out of her mouth. She had done this in hope that she will gain some territory from him, and set down her own rules in their marriage for once. But what she had done had angered him even more. "Fine! You shouldn't have bothered to come to my rescue either. Leave if you want! But I don't expect to see you tonight!" "Why? You wanted something from me?" "Yes! I wanted to make you my wife!" he snapped. "In gratitude for saving you? How thoughtful!" she said with bitterness and disgust as he growled at her insinuation. "I want you to go. Go now!" "Okay." Davina whispered and wiped her eyes, leaving the room. Kol stared after her with fury and yet with so much pain, as he realized just now that he had finally managed to lose her for good.

…

 _"Your father and I have taken care of everything. You need to come and stay with us tonight, Hayley."_ Hayley was on the phone with her mother. "Yes, I know that you want me there, but I…" _"Please, my dear, I want to see you safe, right here with us. I don't want to have to worry. Or is it your husband for whom you worry the most? Is he the reason you don't want to come? Do you want to be with him tonight?"_ Hayley bit her lip as she stared back into the emergency room and whispered, "No, Mom. Being in the Mikaelsons' home after what happened today is the last thing that I want." _"Okay. Make sure that you inform Klaus and Mikael too. You know how their family gets. They are overprotective."_ "I don't care. You are my parents. If I want to stay with you guys, I will. I'm coming in an hour." Hayley ended the call and looked back towards the room where Klaus was laying there, bandaged up. She remembered that she was extremely angry at him, so she put on a firm face and decided to get this over with. No one was inside with him, in the emergency room when she entered. His eyes were open and he was staring at the ceiling. When their eyes met, he looked so very pleased that she was there, which confused her.

"Why are you here?" he asked, his tone, changed from the last time they had seen each other in this room. This time, he sounded more caring and more relieved to see her. Hayley pressed her lips together, as she observed that the wound in his hip was slowly disappearing and he didn't look to be slightly knocked out anymore. "I am here to tell you that I am going to my parents' home tonight." "But Doctor Stevens told me that I can be released today so you needn't worry. I can be home with you." Hayley couldn't understand his sudden change of opinion, but she shook her head and said, "No. She told me that they will have to transport you home using an ambulance and you will still need to stay in bed for a few days." "I know that, love, but that is no reason for you to leave home and go to your parents." "I want to…after what happened today. I don't want to be here, and I don't want to be with you." His face looked disappointing as he held out his hand and asked her through his movement to come to him. Hayley remained there, looking at his hand, as it stayed in the open air.

"I am leaving, Klaus and nothing you can say right now can change my mind." He tried to sit up at that moment but he groaned and leaned back down, with her help, as she rushed to him and aided him. He smiled in return and whispered, "I knew that you would be here. Little wolf, about what I have said earlier…" "It doesn't matter, Klaus. It's clear that we rushed into this without thinking. I'm sorry about what I kept from you. I am, and I told you at a time when I knew that I could trust you, at a time when I knew that you wouldn't rat me out to your father." "I haven't done that." "That is not the point!" "Hayley, my wish was always for you to remain with me. I lashed out at you because you would not listen and you insist on pursuing your dream." "And the fact that I kept that secret from you. It affected your humungous ego! Admit it!" Klaus growled and looked away from her, rolling his eyes. Taking a step back, Hayley crossed her hands over her chest and said softly, "What I kept from you…it was for the benefit of my family. I should have told you…but you were cruel to me at the beginning. Nothing mattered to you. You were different and you didn't want anything from me. How could I trust you when I barely knew you? I did the right thing for me and my parents. As for my job as a doctor here…I told you that I will take it, and I want you to accept it, I want you to learn to respect your wife and her desires in this marriage."

Klaus chuckled and said, "I do respect you! I always have!" "But you are too selfish to let me go." "Yes! You may put it this way!" "Then you are more like your father than I thought you would be." "I am his son." "Yeah, you are. And if our marriage is going to look like Mikael and Esther's in 25 years from now, where he orders her around, keeps things from her and forces her to remain a housewife…then I can tell you that we might as well cut the chain now, because that is not the life I want, despite the fact that I love you." Klaus' mouth dropped as he asked her in a whisper, "What are you saying, little wolf? You want a divorce? MY FAMILY DOES NOT…" "No! Calm down. I simply want a separation…and after all that has happened, I think it's best for us." She saw him close his eyes for a moment and the pain was visible but she kept her eyes averted from him. "Please, come to me." He finally found the courage to say and he held out his hand for her again. Hayley hesitated for a moment but then slowly walked over to him, took his hand and sat on his bed, as he grazed her hand with his fingers. "Please…I do not wish to lose you, love. Not after all that has happened, as you might put it. Don't leave." Hayley closed her eyes and bit her lip, shaking her head. "No, please, I have to be with my parents tonight." "One night?" "I don't know…I…" "One night, Hayley." "I'm not sure that one night of separation solves anything." "And what do you think you can accomplish by staying away from me? What do I need to do to prove to you that I love you, Hayley?" "That's not the issue here."

Their eyes met and he finally whispered, "You may go, but please…I want you back…soon." "Despite how angry you are for not telling you my secret?" "I want to fix that, so give me a chance to do so." Before she could leave, he kissed her hand tenderly. "Come back to me, soon, love. I will be waiting for news." Hayley realized that it must have taken a lot of force from him to say that, to just let her go when she wanted to, but it was for the best. "Thank you." Was the one think she could bare to say at that moment before standing up and leaving the emergency room. "Hayley, is something wrong?" Doctor Stevens asked her, the moment she stepped outside. "No, I'm okay. Klaus is fine too. You can check on him." "Okay we will do that. And make sure that you speak to the manager before you leave. He has something to show you." Hayley smiled the best she could and nodded, "Okay, I will."

…

Annabelle was sitting on the sofa, with Hayley's head resting on her legs, as she caressed her daughter's cheek. Jack was sitting with a bottle of bourbon on the other side of the room, taking long swigs and then he set down the bottle. "Why have you decided to leave the house?" he asked, grumpily. "It is just for a few days, Dad. I really want to be away from the Mikaelson family drama." "But, baby, your husband might need you." Annabelle was insisting. "No. Klaus and I talked…and we agreed to separate for a while." "Honey, this is not doing good to my arrangement with Mikael. That man has no idea how to control his temper. He is going to go berserk!" "And you're being hysterical, Dad. He does not care about anything as long as Klaus and I are married. And we are still married." "But, honey, if you're thinking about a divorce…" "No, Mom! Not a divorce! I told you. Just a small separation period." "For how long?" Jack wanted to know. "A week or so…I don't know. It depends on how I feel right now." "It depends on how you feel? This marriage was a business contract, Hayley!" Jack snapped.

"It was at the beginning but things changed when I fell in love with Klaus. This is a real marriage, Father, just what you wanted. Now, you deal with your business and I'll deal with mine." Jack wanted to respond, but seeing the tired look on his daughter's face, and knowing just how frustrating it was, being a part of the Mikaelson family, he decided to let it go, for his own sake and for hers too. Annabelle, deciding to lighten up the spirits, whispered, "I heard about your new job as the official doctor of the Charity Hospital, Hayley. I am very proud that you are taking up a serious job of your own." "Thank you, Mother. Klaus doesn't seem to think this way." She whispered. Annabelle sighed and rubbed her hands. "Honey, men are complicated, Take it from me…I have been married for 25 years to this one, right here." Jack chuckled and kissed his wife on the cheek. "I am going to take a shower and let you two discuss how men are from Mars and women are from Venus." Hayley and Annabelle both laughed after a while and then settled down as her mother started speaking to her.

"You did the right thing by asking your husband for more time to yourself. Being separated does not mean that you are one step away from ending your marriage and why should you? You and Klaus are in love and before this tragedy from today…you were happy with each other and you wanted more with each other. He wanted to open up to you, and you showed him the same amount of opening up by revealing your secret from him. You need to think about what you're putting behind here and it's not your marriage to Klaus, it is the events of today that you need to put behind, so you can be ready for your future, my dear. Everything will be okay. Take the week off and just focus on yourself. Take on your new job. See how Klaus feels without you around him and how you feel without him…and then you decide. Love is beautiful, but it's also complicated. True love is exciting and powerful, igniting flames of passion and anger too. But it's worth experiencing it, even though you get some bruises along the way." Hayley smiled at her and whispered, "Thanks, Mom."

 **A/N: Camlijah and Sophinn are at peace, but Klayley and Kolvina still have complications which will be resolved in the final two chapters of this story. What do you think is going to happen with these two couples. Gia, Kaleb and other characters will be featured in the next two chapters left of the story, in order to put an end to all the dramas going on in this story.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	24. Hello Is Not Enough

**Previously, on Corrupted Souls, Klaus and Hayley discussed their problems as a couple, which involved her taking Doctor Stevens' job at the hospital, and the secret about Hayley's heritage which had finally been revealed. Camille and Elijah struggled with the pain of losing people, while Sophie finally told Finn about the baby. Kol and Davina lashed out at one another, resulting in a huge conflict and disagreement. Hayley made a final decision to take a break from the Mikaelson family and her marriage to Klaus, deciding to take refuge with her parents until things settled down in the city.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Two weeks after the death of Giuseppe and the changes in the Mikaelson family, Klaus and Elijah discuss the troubles their father had gotten himself into and how that impacts their mother. Annabelle has a talk with Hayley and advises her to return to her husband, after Hayley runs into someone unexpected. Camille, after doing a test, ends up disappointed with the results, which will lead to Elijah preparing a surprise for her. Sophie meets someone unexpected while Finn, along with Kol, Klaus and Elijah get into a fight about family wealth when their father intervenes. Davina returns to the Mikaelson home, with surprising news for Kol. At long last, Hayley makes an appearance at the Mikaelson mansion just as things get worse with Mikael's problems.**

* * *

Klaus gasped and raised his head above the pillow. He was sweating like crazy, as his shirt felt tight on his body, so he decided to take it off at once, relaxing his muscles. He growled in frustration as he rose himself from the bed, of whom he had been dreaming. He could not push her out of his mind. He looked over at the other side of the bed, where she used to sleep, before the outcome of her confession. How could she do this to their relationship, just as it was started to progress to more…more much than he had ever hoped to have with a woman? He looked at the clock and noticed it was 6 AM in the morning. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to sleep any more than he already had, Klaus raised himself from the bed and got into the shower, letting the water run through his hair. She had promised him that she wouldn't leave him once…Klaus slammed his fist into the wall of the shower, remembering when he had made love to her in this spot…and she had told him she would remain by his side. But she left. It was him who pushed her away. She said she would be back but it has been two weeks of separation. He missed her soft mouth on his, he missed her skin, her hair, her scent. Everything about her was mesmerizing to him. He missed all of her. And now with his father…Klaus covered his face with his hands and thought about the misery of the past week.

 _The butler went to get the door and when he opened it, he was paralyzed with shock at the discovery. Mikael went over to the door and patted the butler on the back. "What is all the fuss about?" Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Finn were behind him with their mother in a few seconds, looking at the people who were standing there, in dark outfits. The man in front pulled out a badge and presented it. "I am Federal Officer Anderson from the FBI." Mikael could feel the lump in his throat as he ordered the butler to leave. "What can I help you with?" "Cuff him." Officer Anderson told the other two men as they stepped towards him and put his hands in cuffs as Esther let out a yelp and grabbed Klaus by the collar. "What is happening? My son, what is happening?" Klaus and Elijah both stepped over to calm their mother as Mikael asked angrily, "What are you doing?" "Mikael Mikaelson, you are under arrest for the murders of Casper Roland, and Richard and Adrianna Gerard. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the Court of Law. You have the right to an attorney to represent you." Esther's face was flooded with tears as Mikael said, "Stay calm. I will be out of this soon." To his family. The door slammed behind him._

 _"What is happening? Why have they taken him?" Esther yelled out as Camille and Sophie had approached the scene and pulled the woman into their arms in order to comfort her. Elijah put his hand on Klaus' shoulder and whispered, "Brother, we must go there and figure out what is going on." He knew that he was in a foul mood, never wanting to do anything with the family problems ever since Hayley had decided to move back in with her parents for a while. The same was with Kol. Davina had not come back to the Mikaelson mansion, regardless of how many times he had tried reasoning with her. But this was about their Family Patriot, their father…it was about them working together. "Yes…we must." Klaus replied in a whisper, looking over at Esther, crying in Camille's arms, as the blonde comforted her. "We are going down to the police station right now. How is it possible that they could have found evidence that traced back to Father? We have done our jobs!" Finn exclaimed and everyone told him to be quiet. Klaus sighed and mumbled, "Then, I believe it is clear as day that someone has betrayed us." All of the family members were now looking at one another, suspecting…someone._

 _Klaus and Elijah busted through the doors and the FBI agent immediately stepped over to them. "If you are here to see your father, I can assure you that it is not possible." "And why the hell not?" Klaus growled and Elijah had to steady him from backfiring. Agent Anderson raised his eyebrow and replied, "I would suggest that you mind your tone, Mr. Mikaelson. Anything you say can also be used against him in trial." "We wish to post bail for him." Elijah told him, calmly. "That will be possible, if the judge agrees. You will need to wait here an hour before the sum is said by the judge." "Very well." Klaus finally whispered and rested his forehead against the wall, breathing in deeply. Elijah placed his hand on his back but Klaus slammed his fist into the wall and turned around. "How could this have happened? Tell me!" "I don't know. But keep your voice down, Niklaus. We cannot be heard by anyone. Agent Anderson is right. What we say can…" "Enough! You wait here and I shall pay the Salvatore mansion a visit right now. If Jane Anne Deveraux and the other Salvatores know what is best for them, they will keep their mouths shut from now on about their father." He was about to leave but Elijah grabbed his hand and said, "Niklaus please trust me that I know what you…"_

 _"What?" Klaus snapped at him with fury all over his face. "I know the look of anger is combined with pain on your face and I know that if Hayley were here beside you, things would have worked out differently." "You cannot possibly…" "Camille told me about her heritage…that she is not a Marshall by blood. Rest assured that Father will not learn of this. Her secret is safe with me and my wife…and our mother." "I don't care about her or her secret." "Niklaus…" "NO! She has turned her back on me and on our family." "You pushed her away!" "I don't want to hear another word of it." Klaus then leaned over and whispered, "I am breaking into the Salvatores' home. You know that Father forgot to check the treasures they have hidden in their safe. I am getting the 500.000 $ which rightfully belong to us and hopefully, we can use them to bail him out." Elijah gaped. "How do you know that they are going to be asking for this much?" "I simply have a feeling." "And I have a bad feeling regarding his job cover. It will look suspicious if he hires a lawyer to defend him in court, Niklaus. He is a lawyer, as far as everyone knows!" "One step at a time, brother. Isn't that what you always say? One step at a time."_

He found himself on the bed, wishing and thinking of her, and of what Elijah had told him about pushing her away. He was right, although he could never admit it. There was a knock on his door and Elijah entered, looking at him, sternly. "Father is in his chambers in the North Wing. He wants to talk to us." Before he could respond, Elijah closed the door behind him and whispered, "Niklaus, are you sure that you want to do this with me?" "Why shouldn't I want to?" Elijah growled for the first time in a long time and snapped, "Because you are Father's favorite son! You have always been this way, and he has his expectations. How do I know that you aren't setting me into a trap? Betraying our own father this way and then finding evidence that I was behind this?" "You need to trust me." "And why should I, brother? You never trusted me." Klaus stood up from his bed and whispered, "Elijah, your wife is under the impression that our father is to pay for his actions, and so he shall…my way. Trust me." They continued to stare at one another, until finally, Elijah nodded and the two brothers walked over to the North Wing.

Mikael indicated for the two sons to approach him, as he lay in bed. "Your mother is not feeling well so I have sent her with an ambulance to the hospital. It must be all the stress she has accumulated with the trial that is going to arrive in two days." Klaus flinched as he heard of the hospital, knowing that Hayley must already be there, filling her duty as a doctor and treating his mother. "Are you alright, Niklaus?" Mikael asked and Klaus finally cleared his throat and nodded, "Yes, Father. I am fine." "So, my son, you were right about the bail. 500.000 $ to be exact have been given to the state." He started laughing as Klaus and Elijah looked at one another. "And how long I have spent searching for that money that Giuseppe had taken from me. Ironic, isn't it?" "Father, you will be spared of all accusations." Elijah told him, firmly. "Is that so? I don't really believe that. You see, Elijah, I am in a tight spot right now. With only two days left till the trial, I will need a lawyer to represent me. Seeing as being a lawyer is only my cover job for what I really do…well, I haven't practiced it for long enough in order to be able to defend myself. So what am I to do?" "I already have a solution, Father. I have managed to obtain my license to practice law. I will represent you in Court in two days." Mikael looked proud at him and said, "You see, Elijah? You could learn so much from your brother here. He is truly gifted." Elijah did his best to prevent himself from commenting on this aspect without getting angry.

"Very well, Niklaus. If you believe that you have what it takes to represent me, then I can allow you to try, seeing as I have no choice but to have my own son alongside me as to not look suspicious in front of the jury. What I also want you and your brothers to figure out is exactly who was the one to betray us? How did the police find evidence that I was part of the assassination of Casper Roland and the Geralds?" The brothers looked at each other again before Elijah whispered, "We will find out, Father. Don't worry." "Alright. You are dismissed. Call me when your mother comes back home. I should hire a bodyguard for her." "We will, Father." Klaus answered and left, with Elijah by his side. Once they entered Klaus' room, Elijah closed the door and asked in a whisper, "It was you who planted the evidence." "Ah, you finally guessed it. Now, I suppose you can believe me that I am in this for real and I am not planning on sabotaging you, brother." Elijah stayed in silence for a moment before asking him, "How did you manage to pull it off?" "It does not matter how. It was done. But make sure that you keep your mouth shut, brother. No one is to learn anything about this, not even Camille." He warned him. "Very well. We do what must be done." Elijah responded. With that, they parted ways.

…

She smiled to herself after remembering the moments spent with her last patient. Hayley's phone rang and she answered it at once. "Hey, Mom!" _"Hi, honey! Are you busy with work?"_ "No. I just had a meeting with a very special patient. Esther." _"Really? You haven't seen her in a while. Is she alright?"_ "Yeah, she just had a headache but I knew just the thing to help her." _"Of course you do, sweetheart. You have even managed to calm your father and persuade him into letting you stay with us for these past two weeks. Speaking of which, has Esther said something to you about…him?"_ Hayley bit her lip and hesitated before whispering, "You would expect her to say something. She is his mother." _"So…she has mentioned Klaus? How is he doing?"_ "Esther kept on telling me that he wants me back, but I don't buy it. She just wants her family together now that Mikael is finally found guilty of something and could be going to jail for a very long time." _"He is out on bail?"_ "Yes, for 500.000 $." _"You've got to be kidding me!"_ "Yes, they used the Board's long lost money in order to pay for Mikael's bail. The trial is in two days. I kept in touch with Cami and she told me everything that is going on." _"Hayley, I think you should go back to the Mikaelsons."_ "No, Mother. I can't do that." _"Why not? What are you afraid of?"_ Hayley sighed and caressed her stomach for a moment before whispering, "I am just not ready."

 _"I think that you are missing out on a lot."_ "And I think that if I get myself involved in the Mikaelson family drama again, I might not be able to keep myself focused on the actual job. I have to stay here and tend to people's care, something Klaus never accepted because he believes all women should be housewives like his mother." _"I am sure that he has grown to respect your choice and he will support you. And he needs your support at a time like this, Hayley. You are his wife. Be there for him."_ "I can't go back now. He…he doesn't want me, not after what I revealed to him. This might not even be about the fact that I kept this secret from him. Maybe he is just…upset because he wanted to have a Mafia blood wife. I am not what he wants." _"No, Hayley. Now you are just sounding silly. He is upset but he loves you and you love him. Think about it."_ "Even if I do go back now…what I am supposed to say to him? I will look like an idiot…" _"Tell him how you feel."_ "I am not going to beg for him to take me back." _"That is not what I am asking you to do. He loves you and I am sure that he wants you to come back. What are you doing? Are you waiting for him to come to you?"_ "He is the one who pushed me away, because apparently understanding what I have been through…was not enough, and he couldn't manage it. He pushed me away. Why does he blame me for leaving? What gives him that right?" _"My dear, just think about it. Go back to him."_

The door opened to the room and Hayley whispered, "Mom, I am with a patient right now. I will call you later. Bye." Frustrated and confused because of what her mother had advised her to do, Hayley turned around and prepared for the patient but he eyes widened when she saw who it was. "Jackson." She breathed and straightened her outfit, writing his name on the clipboard. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper as Jackson shrugged, "I was playing football with some guys and I hit my head on the side of the road. I think it looks pretty bad…and I heard that you replaced Doctor Stevens." Hayley tried to smile a little as she motioned for him to have a seat and let her clean his wound. "Yeah, I did." "And I also heard that you left the Mikaelsons. What happened? That guy didn't treat you right?" Hayley pursed her lips before saying, "It really doesn't concern you, Jackson." "We were once together…and you left me because of a night when…I was not thinking clearly…" "You almost raped me if Klaus hadn't shown up." "And how ironic that you married the guy who he claims saved you." "He did save me." "Hayley…" He touched her hand but she pulled it back. "Jackson, I am married…" "You are separated from him, from a marriage you were forced into for your parents' sake. We had something special, Hayley…" "You were my first, Jackson and we were together for a long while. Maybe it is hard for you to let it go."

"NO! I refuse to lose you to that guy!" He slammed his fist on the table and stood up. Hayley frowned at him and whispered, "Is that why you came here? To question me about my marriage? It does not concern you! And unless you want me to call for those men in black you saw strolling around the halls and kick you out of here, I suggest that you remain calm and let me heal you." Jackson wanted to say more but finally, realizing that she meant what she said, took a seat once again and let her work. "I'm sorry. I just…miss you…and I thought that since you left your husband, that maybe we could have c chance…" "No, Jackson! I love my husband!" "So you say…" "I say it because I mean it! End of discussion!" Just by looking at him, Hayley felt frustrated, but deep down in her heart, she realized that her mother was right. She did want Klaus back. She wanted to be in his arms again and comfort him, and for him to comfort her like he used to.

…

"Oh no." Cami whispered and looked over at the stick she was holding. The pregnancy test. She was hoping…but the answer was negative. Slow tears fell from her eyes, as she thought about her desire…her wish to have a baby. But maybe now was just God's way of telling her that it was not the right time. Not the right moment. There was a knock on the door followed by Elijah's voice, "Camille? Is everything alright, my dear?" Cami immediately wiped away her tears and replied, "I'm fine! I will be out in a minute." Throwing away the used stick, she stepped out of the bathroom, to see Elijah there, fixing the bullets in one of his pistols. He immediately set it down and went towards her. "Is everything alright? What has happened?" "Nothing. Just the case, your father…" Elijah chuckled and shook his head, embracing her. "No. I can see it in your eyes. You're hurt. Tell me what happened in there." "I did a pregnancy test." Cami whispered and Elijah stilled, and then back up a little to look at her in the eyes. "And?" "And the result was negative. I am not pregnant." She let the tears stream down her face as Elijah hugged her again. "But, Elijah, I wanted to be. I wanted so desperately to be…and I wasn't. Why? Why not?" Sobbing in his chest, Elijah caressed her face and then kissed her forehead.

"Maybe it is a sign." "I thought so too." "Camille, listen to me. We will have a baby…soon. I promise you that when my father's trial ends, we will try again. If you wish to have children…" Camille nodded silently and wiped away her tears. "I know. I am just envious that Sophie got pregnant after a drunken night when she and Finn weren't even trying, and we have been trying and…what if I am infertile? What if…I can't carry your child? Your father will never forgive me for this. He will punish me for not continuing the Mikaelson bloodline." "No, I don't wish for you to think this way. You are getting ahead of yourself and it is not necessary. Sophie is having my brother's child now. Soon, when your time comes, you will too. Don't jump to sudden conclusions about your fertility. Just because you received a negative response that does not mean that there is something wrong with you or me. We will have a baby. I promise you." Cami nodded and kissed him softly. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry I am overreacting like a control freak." "That is quite alright. I enjoy exploring more sides of you." He then leaned over and whispered, "I know that I have asked of you to resolve your family problems, and I know you will, whenever you can…but after my father's trial…I have a very special surprise for you."

He sighed, content when he saw that her face lightened as he continued saying, "I bought you spot on the stage of Rousseau's…to play your violin." Cami's face dropped and she started shaking her head. "No. I won't play in public, Elijah. I won't do that to myself." "You can. You have practiced so much. It would be a shame for it all to go to waste. Trust me on that." "But how can you…?" "Have you forgotten that I am very influential person in this town? You may sing if you wish, and I suggest that you do." "You chose the wrong crowd. Those people like the rap that Marcel…Marcel used to sing." Her voice reduced a whisper when talking about Marcel. Elijah pulled her to him and caressed her back gently, saying, "Wait for this trial to end, and I will stand by your side. I will be there when you go up on that stage and you will see that people will appreciate you and your music." "They would want Gia." "No, that is enough! I have had enough of you comparing yourself to her! You are who you are and I am offering you the chance to be happy by playing your music to a crowd of people!" Elijah snapped. The fact that his voice raised in anger, didn't bother her at all, as she leaned over and kissed him, whispering, "This must be one of the nicest things you have done for me. Thank you." "You are my wife. It is my duty to keep you spoiled and happy."

…

She smiled to herself, walking down the streets, after having visited lots of baby shops on Bourbon Street. Even though she was three weeks along, Sophie was preparing for her first ultrasound in the next week, when she hoped, she would get a good little picture of her fetus. She and Finn had managed to look past his drug addiction and move on, after Finn was finally stopped. She had to admit that she was starting to miss both Hayley and Davina around the house, and with Mikael's trial coming up, she felt like she needed all the support she could get and Esther too. Just as she reached another shop, her heart stopped as she saw someone she feared to see in front of her. Kaleb, her former best friend and possible lover. Turning around and trying to leave, Sophie couldn't as he ran up to her and held her hand. "Don't run away from me, please." He begged her but Sophie pulled her hand away, looking up at him with nothing but disgust on her face. "Why shouldn't I? You are absolutely nothing but a traitor and I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore!" "Jane Anne forced me into it, Sophie. There was nothing I could do." "You should have run away from town with her. Now, I am afraid I will have to inform the Board that you are still around."

Kaleb scoffed and whispered, "I know you are not going to do that. Despite everything, you still care about me." "You and Jane Anne made up some twisted plot for me to walk out of Finn's life and pretend that the child I am carrying is actually yours." "I was hoping that you would accept." "What in your mind made you think that I would ever accept to lie to everyone regarding the father of my child?" Sophie nearly screeched but lowered her voice as she saw that people were starting to look at her on the streets. Kaleb sighed and came closer to her, cupping her cheek. "I knew how unhappy you were, being forced into this marriage. You have to admit, Sophie, that everything you thought to have felt for this guy, you were forced into it. When it comes to us…we were never forced. We just came together…" "You can't be forced to fall in love with someone, Kaleb. Falling in love is natural and it happens when you least expect it with the person you least expect to fall in love with. And after all the fighting and the hatred, I have to admit that I fell in love with Finn and now I am carrying his child. There is nothing you can say now that is going to change that." She pushed him away from her as he remained shocked. "You were once my friend and in respect to that, I am going to give you one last chance. Leave the city."

"I am only leaving if you come with me." "That is never going to happen, Kaleb and if you don't leave, I am going to tell the Board. I promise you that, and you won't get away without punishment." Seeing the seriousness on her face, Kaleb growled and said, "This was never supposed to end like this." "Life is full of surprises." "I remember a couple of months before all this. We were sitting together at Rousseau's, drinking and laughing, thinking about having future jobs. Now, look at us. You said that we would be best friends forever. What happened to that?" "You ruined it, Kaleb, when you signed an alliance with the Salvatores. The Salvatores lost and this is the Mikaelson city. I am a Mikaelson, so you must leave with the others in exile. Mystic Falls is your home now." "I am not going there." "Do I need to force you?" "You won't force me." "Try me, Kaleb. Leave…and don't come back. If you do, you are going to get hurt and despite everything, I don't want that. Please, just go." He understood, deep in his heart that the Mikaelsons were not in the mood for playing, and if Sophie were to tell them about him, they would come for him, and they would kill him. Staring into her eyes one last time with anger, Kaleb gritted his teeth and started running away, as fast as he could. Sophie stood there and watched him, whispering, "Goodbye, Kaleb."

…

Sophie went back home with the intention to tell Finn about what happened, when she stared as Klaus, Kol, Elijah and Finn were in a fight, in the hall, with their father out of earshot. Camille was standing on the stairs, listening closely to what was happening. "Tell us what other treasures you found in the Salvatores' home, Niklaus. I don't think that this is all you can offer us." Elijah was saying and Klaus simply laughed. "You must all be absurd. I have already showed you everything I have discovered. A huge sum of money which is ours to keep, not mention diamonds and other jewels. What more do you think those idiots were hiding?!" Kol, Elijah and Finn looked at one another with their hands crossed over their chests, as Mikael came downstairs with his fingers rubbing his forehead. "I don't think you all seem to realize that you have a trial to prepare for me in two days, especially you, Niklaus! You are my best boy and now a legal lawyer to represent me. Have you done your homework?" "Yes, of course, Father." Klaus answered, eyeing Elijah. "Then enough with the loud voices. What is going on here?" "We think that Niklaus is not being honest when it comes to all the treasures he found at the Salvatores' mansion." Kol answered and Mikael eyed him darkly.

"Is that so? Is there anything that you would like to share with us, Niklaus? Is there something more than meets the eye." Klaus took a deep breath and looked into Mikael's eyes. "No, Father. There is nothing." Mikael smiled and patted his back, turning to his other three sons, saying, "You all would do well to remember that this is a son, faithful to his family and to his father. He doesn't hide anything from me." Elijah gulped as Klaus eyed him sternly. "Let us all rest and…" At that moment, the doorbell rang and the butler went towards it in order to answer, as Esther clapped her hands, excitedly. "I am convinced it's her." "Who?" Mikael asked. "Davina. I spoke to David and Nina on the phone. She has decided to come back." Kol's heart leaped inside of his chest as the butler opened the door and a smiling Davina appeared, with her luggage. Camille and Sophie immediately rushed to her and pulled her into a hug, excited that she had decided to return. "I hope that this is not a bad time." Davina whispered, as she saw everyone looking at her wide-eyed. "Of course not, my dear!" Esther hugged her as well. Mikael stepped over with her hands behind his back. "You have decided to come back. It is understandable. You are married to one of my sons, and this family is now your family as well. But if you leave again, you cannot return. Do I make myself clear?" Davina's face dropped at his demand but slowly nodded, whispering, "I would like to go to my room, please." Not once looking at Kol.

He stood there, disturbed but also very much surprised at her. Taking a deep breath, Kol returned to the bedroom in the South Wing which has been closed for a while. Slamming the door shut behind him, Kol faced her with his fists clenched. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Where have you been?" "Home with my parents. You knew that." Davina answered, arranging her clothes quietly. "Why did it take so long for you to come back? Is our marriage really that bad? Have I not tried to make up for the bad things I have done to you, darling, huh, is that it?" Davina looked towards him with a serious look on her face. "You tried. You did. But I am not ready." His heart sank at her words as he shrugged and put his hands on his hips. "What else is new? When are you going to be ready?" "Kol, I have decided that I am going to college." "What?" "I have to find something to do with my life and maybe, if I find myself able to look past everything bad that happened between us, maybe we can start over…" "We will, because I am not about to let you file for divorce. This has never happened in my family and it never will." "I told you that I am going to college, not filing for divorce, Kol." Davina replied. "My father has been explicitly clear to you! You can't set foot in this house again if you leave."

"Well, if you want me in your life, you are going to have to find a way to make him change his mind. I have been accepted at the University of New Orleans. It is not far and I think I can do it. I will settle myself on campus. I will have vacations of course, so…" "Davina, no." "It's three years of study and then I…" "No! I refuse to let you." She smiled at him sarcastically and said, "And this is exactly the reason why we don't make progress anymore. You can't be in control of my life, Kol! I want to do something, not wait and see what you are asking from me. I want to do something for myself, and maybe some time apart is what we need." "We already had time apart. Two weeks in which you refused to contact me!" "Kol…" She was frustrated but he was even more, and at that moment, he pulled her towards him and kissed her angrily and yet very passionately that she just melted in his arms. Leaning her onto the bed, he slowly pulled up her shirt and over her body, exploring her breasts and her flat stomach. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, as he kissed every single part of her body, making her moan quietly, as he pulled off all of his clothes and leaned on her, after taking away her pants. He looked unsure for a moment but her eyes were granting him permission.

"Why?" he whispered, caressing her face. "Because if this is the way I can convince you to let me go for a while, then I will accept this." He chuckled and grinned, kissing her neck and whispering, "I am taking away your virginity. Is that what you want?" "Yes." Davina breathed in and before she could add anything more, he was already making love to her passionately and yet gently, as to not hurt her for the first time. Leaning her head on his chest, he pulled the duvet on top on her. Her eyes were closed and even though she knew how complicated things were between them, she was pleased that he had finally made her his wife. She leaned back, wrapping her body with sheets and was prepared to go to the bathroom, but he grabbed her hand, stopping her from moving. "Why did you come back?" he asked her, his voice soft. "Because you need support…with your father." "Hmm." He murmured, as she moved towards the bathroom and closed the door behind her. For some reason, her heart felt at peace, because what was meant to happen between her and her husband finally happened, and maybe one day…they would mend their relationship.

...

Annabelle watched as her daughter was sitting in her childhood room, reading her favorite book, and sighed, entering. "It has been two days since I called you at the hospital, Hayley, and I told you to think very carefully about the relationship between you and Klaus. What happened? Today is Mikael's trial. Why aren't you with your husband, to support him?" Hayley closed the book she was reading and shook her head in agony. "I don't think he would want me to stress him out even more." "You told me that he begged you at the hospital when he was there not to leave. What happened?" "He was desperate because he doesn't want to be alone." "And neither do you. For heaven's sake, Hayley, if you don't head over there right now, I am going to have a special talk with your father." "Mother, please. He made it clear that…" "He was angry…but he didn't tell his father, did he? He is loyal to Mikael. Did he tell him about your secret? No, he did not, because if he had done so, your father and I would have been out of the Board by now. He hopes for you to go back to him and you must, Hayley. I hate to see you suffer." "I wanted to be honest with him." "That is good and you have, but now it is time to return. This period of separation might have mended things for you both." With a smile at her mother's words, Hayley nodded and started packing, pleasing Annabelle.

Everyone looked in a hurry when she arrived and the moment the butler opened the door for her, her eyes met his, across the hall. His hands were crossed over his chest, his body dressed in a suit, directed towards Elijah, who was talking to him, also wearing a suit. Hayley realized that she must have arrived just in time for the trial. "Hayley! You're back! Thank you so much, my dear!" Esther exclaimed and threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Hayley smiled politely at her, and even when Camille, Davina and Sophie came downstairs to greet her, Hayley's eyes were constantly fixed on her husband, who was staring back at her with a passive look on his face. Mikael arrived in the hall, wearing something expensive, of course and his eyes wondered over Hayley. "What are you doing here? You abandoned my son." Esther looked at Mikael in surprise and said, "Mikael, please…" "No! I will not have her in my home after what she did to separate herself from Niklaus." Hayley's heart leaped inside of her chest at the thought of her not being able to come back into the family. "Please, I wanted to apologize…" she started saying but Klaus stepped forward and cut her off. "I wish to see you upstairs…in private." His face was firm and there was no chance that he was feeling anything but anger at this moment. "Hurry up, son. We must leave for Court." Klaus nodded and led Hayley upstairs, with her luggage. The minute he put her things in her room, he took her hand and silently led her into the Art Room, shutting the door.

"Klaus, what is going on?" Hayley asked, confused, crossing her hands over her chest. The minute his eyes closed, Hayley felt something bad was definitely going to happen. She thought that she would be ready for this, but he wasn't. She heard him growl and curse to himself, until finally, he turned around and cupped her cheeks. He lowered his head until his lips met hers in a searing hot kiss, which lasted for at least three minutes, until they finally pulled away, out of breath. He ran his fingers through her curls and slid his forehead on hers, after kissing it. Hayley took a moment to come out of this shock before she said, "Klaus, I want you to please forgive me for leaving." He shook his head and kissed her forehead again, saying, "I need to apologize to you…little wolf. I have been careless and I have not bothered to understand the reason behind your hidden secret. I do not care that your blood does not belong to a Mafia group. Father has not and will never hear of this from me. You are my wife and my love for you is deep…it's something I should have treasured but I have not, out of stubbornness and because of my ego. I have never felt love before you came into my life, Hayley…I have not learned to value it like my sister had told me before, countless of times before. Please, forgive me…and don't leave me again…even for my stubbornness and foolish decisions I might make in the future…I do not wish to lose you. Stay, and disregard any pointless accusations I may have pointed towards you."

She smiled softly as she felt him leaning forward again but this time, it was her who initiated the kiss and it was powerful…intimate. She had forgiven him. With her hands wrapped around his neck, Hayley pulled him closer and molded her lips gently against his, as his hand moved from her back and caressed her thigh in pure bliss. They didn't need words. Their actions did all the talking for them. Hayley moaned as his lips traced a pattern from her jaw to her neck. "I made you a promise once that I would never leave you and I broke it. I want you to forgive me for that, if I forgive you." She said softly and breathless even. Giving her one last kiss on her lips, Klaus pulled back and looked at her with a smirk and that mischievous smile that she loved so much to see, the smile of the man who had captured her heart. "I forgive you." He responded with a grin and took her hand to his lips, brushing it with them for a while before saying, "I have something important to tell you about the case against my father…something which is known only by me and Elijah. I wish to share it with you because I know I can trust you." There was seriousness on his face and Hayley nodded, pursing her lips, waiting to hear what this was all about.

…

Four hours later, they were all seated in court. Klaus was playing with his pencil on the desk, as he kept giving Elijah signs behind him. Mikael was next to his son, sweating like a pig, after such a rough trial. The jury opened the door to their restricted room and came out, taking their positions. The judge quieted the court as the people from the jury stood up, as well as Mikael and Klaus. "Have you reached your verdict?" the judge asked and the head woman nodded, "We have, your honor." "And how does the jury find the defendant?" "We find the defendant…guilty, your honor!" the woman declared and everyone gasped, including Esther, who had tears running down her cheeks already. Hayley bit her lip and pushed herself to the front table where Klaus and Mikael were standing and grabbed the hand on her husband, squeezing it tightly. Klaus smiled at her and kissed her lips, before turning to his father and whispering, "I'm sorry, Father. I wish I could have been able to do more." "You could have done more…but you are unexperienced…it's not your fault, my son." Mikael replied with a sigh and hugged him, as the judge spoke, "Mikael Mikaelson, you are condemned to five years of federal state prison, for the murders of Casper Roland, Richard and Adrianna Gerard! This case is dismissed!"

Everyone stood up this time and managed to hug Mikael, as police officers had his hands behind his back and were ready to take him away. "It's just five years, my darling, and I will make sure to have visits. It will all be over sooner than you can imagine." Mikael comforted Esther, as the woman continued crying, to no stopping her. "Niklaus, I am putting you in charge of this family, until I get released. Take care and continue running the family business, I am counting on you!" he exclaimed before he left, cuffed and with sorrow on his face. Elijah came over to Klaus' side and whispered in his ear, "Do you think we did the right thing?" "Yes, of course. We have accomplished our mission. We should talk outside." Klaus whispered back and they walked outside, and into a private corner where they continued talking. "You loosened up your skills, Niklaus. I thought you were a better lawyer than that. What happened to your outstanding results in Law School?" Elijah asked him with a smirk. "Ah, you know that I was not being serious, brother. I intended for Father to lose." "How is it possible that the judge ended up giving Father only five years for three murders?" "Let's just say that I offered him a small fortune of what we have found at the Salvatore residence, including money and diamonds. He has a happier future ahead of him thanks to me, so of course he decided to offer my father a very small punishment." "But it will be all over the press, Niklaus." "Father is 50 years old. He is already an old man with not many years ahead of him and let's not forget…that this is a corrupted city. Anything is possible when mobsters rule it."

"And what about Kieran? Who is to blame for his death?" "The FBI is now looking for Giuseppe Salvatore…the main suspect of killing Kieran in his own home." Klaus smirked as he answered. "How?" "Fingerprints, guns…I planted all the evidence needed." "But Giuseppe is…?" "Dead, I know. I was there, remember? I feel bad for the feds. It seems that they are chasing someone…who will never be found." The two brothers looked at each other for a moment before starting to laugh at their accomplishment. "Mobsters rule this city? Is that what I heard?" Hayley came over to them and asked with a raise of her eyebrows. Elijah took the cue to leave as Klaus, pressed his finger over his mouth and whispered, "What are you taking me for, Hayley? Do you want us to get caught?" She would not stop smiling as she cupped his cheeks and kissed him passionately, "I am very proud of you for doing this." Klaus kissed her back before saying, "I believe that this family and the Board deserve a break from my father. And as he put me in charge, I have the right to declare a new member of the Board president." Hayley frowned and asked, "Don't you want to lead the Board now?" "No. I think I prefer spending as much time as possible with my wife under the sheets." Klaus responded with a husky voice, kissing her neck. "Very tempting…but I still can't get over what you did to your father. You were so loyal to him."

Klaus smiled and caressed her cheek, saying, "Let's just say that I might not have gotten over the way he beat you the examination day." "I remember. So, who are you planning on settling as the Board President?" "Your father." "What? My father? Really?" "Why not? He is the most level-headed man I know. He is intelligent enough to lead the Board and even if my father does return after five years, I don't believe he will be calling the shots around here any longer. There have been too many deaths and too much damage done to our family. I will prevent that from happening in the future." Hayley nodded and looked down, smiling as she brushed her hand over her stomach. Klaus noticed her movement and asked her softly, "What's wrong?" Continuing to smile at him, Hayley pressed her lips against his and whispered, "Let's go home…and I'll tell you."

 **A/N: I think you have all guessed already what Hayley wants to tell Klaus. This was a very long chapter, I know. The next chapter is going to be the final one of the story. Hayley will reveal another more pleasing surprise to Klaus. Sean and Gia will appear and Camille will have her first violin show at Rousseau's, courtesy of Elijah. There will be more Kolvina and Sophinn and a time-skip.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	25. Mafia: Some Are Hammers, Some Are Nails

**Previously, on Corrupted Souls, Klaus and Elijah revealed their secret plan to have Mikael behind bars, in order to secretly make him pay for the mistakes he has made that had caused their family suffering. Hayley was persuaded by her mother to return to the Mikaelson home, which resulted in a wonderful reconciliation between Klaus and Hayley. Camille received a surprise from Elijah, following a negative result to a pregnancy test. Sophie ended her friendship with Kaleb, telling him to leave town and Davina declared going to college, before consummating her marriage to Kol. Finally, Mikael received a sentence of only 5 years of prison, the judge being bribed by Klaus.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Klaus and Hayley have a moment alone as she reveals a surprise to him, a way of starting their new life together. Sophie and Finn receive the peace they need in order to focus on their unborn baby, while Camille has her first violin show at Rousseau's, following a confrontation with Gia and Sean. Kol makes his final decision regarding Davina's choice of going to college. Esther finds out about the plan between Klaus and Elijah. Klaus shows Hayley the portrait of the dark haired woman and a baby, before Hayley, Camille, Sophie and Davina decide to pay Rebekah a visit in the Lafayette Cemetery. At long last, after a time-skip of five years, the family's status is revealed.**

* * *

 _"Niklaus, I am putting you in charge of this family, until I get released. Take care and continue running the family business, I am counting on you!" he exclaimed before he left, cuffed and with sorrow on his face._ Klaus was silent in his car as he thought about his father's memories. Elijah and Camille were in the backseat, as Finn was driving the others, including Esther in the other car. His eyes closed and his hands tightened until they turned white, on the steering wheel. Almost at once, his heartbeat quickened as he felt a soft touch on the right hand. She caressed it with care and with warmth. "I know it kills you, but you are right. It had to be done." Hayley whispered but with no smile on her face to prove that she was indeed proud of his work. Mikael was still his father, despite everything that he had done. When Klaus didn't answer, Camille could be heard from the backseat. "I just hope we can finally get some peace and rest now. Sophie and her baby really need that." Hayley bit her lip at hearing the word 'baby' and looked over at her husband with the smile forming on her lips, not being able to wait much longer to tell him the good news. The moment they pulled over in front of the Mikaelson mansion, Elijah and Camille got out of the car, as they remained inside.

"I am confident that five years will go by really fast and your father can learn something from his mistakes. The punishment would be been so much worse if you had not managed to bribe the judge." Hayley said as Klaus smirked. "Everyone in this city must know that the judge has been bribed. After all…that is how it goes in a corrupted city, little wolf. Some are hammers and some are nails." Hayley nodded, understanding his comparison. "You have always been and will always be the hammer, protecting this family, then." She responded with a smile. He leaned in and kissed her passionately. "Come on. I want to show you something inside." She stated when they finally pulled back from their kiss. Klaus chuckled and asked, "Is that so? Well, believe me, there is something I want to show you too, love." "Then, let's not waste any more time. I want to make up for the time we have spent apart." "Believe it or not, Hayley, I think that you were right. Some small amount of time apart healed our relationship, but I wouldn't want you away from me like this ever again. As far as I and everyone else is concerned…you are Hayley Marshall, blood and name. I do not wish for you to forget it. You are my wife and the woman I love. My Queen." He caressed her face and touched her curls as a way of providing comfort. Cupping his cheeks, she moved her lips against his and whispered, "I love you, and thank you for accepting me." "I was a fool not to." "It doesn't matter now. I don't care about my past anymore."

"And what of the future?" Klaus asked and at that moment, Hayley smiled widely and led him inside the house, eager to reach their room so they could have a private talk about their beliefs. "Little wolf, you have no idea how impatient I am at this moment. Tell me what you wish to tell me." Klaus said with a small laugh erupting from his throat. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "Feel the heartbeat. I know it's there…life…our baby, Klaus." Hayley whispered with tears of joy in her eyes as she saw his smile disappearing, replaced with pure shock of the discovery. "Not possible." He managed to mumble finally. "And why not? Why are you saying that?" Hayley asked with sudden fear plunging inside of her that everything he must have said about the future, about being with her were not true. She started to recall the way he had spoken to her on their wedding night regarding having children. "You didn't want to have children…and you don't want it now either." Hayley finally remarked, with tears sliding down her face and her clothes were suddenly making it very difficult to breathe. Hayley closed her eyes and pushed herself away from him. The moment her stomach left his hand, Klaus startled and looked up to see for the first time that she was in pain.

"Hayley, what is happening? Is it hurting?" he asked, hurrying towards her, trying to aid her. "NO! It's not the baby!" she yelled out and pushed him away from her, taking in deep breaths. "Little wolf, please…" "Don't use that pet name with me now! It is not going to work!" she spat at him with anger and anguish. "Love, I don't understand." "How can you understand what this child means to me? You never wanted to have children and you still don't! You hate it that I'm pregnant." He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated, as he sped over to her and grabbed her by her arms, growling, "Don't be ridiculous, Hayley! Of course I am happy. I am also in a state of shock. I have never expected this to happen so soon for us. But I would never push you or this child away. Believe me, and I am sorry if I have ever made you feel this way." He wiped away her tears as she finally managed to say, "I remember…what you said that night. I thought that…" "Hayley, it was you who stated moments ago that you wish to forget about the past. I want to do the same and start this future with you. I might have said something regarding having children at a time when I was completely under my father's influence. I can assure you that is now the case now. I am here for you and I will care for you and for our child." "Is that something you want to do, or do you just see it as a husband's job?"

Rolling his eyes at her stubbornness, he grabbed her hips and pulled her towards him in a fiery kiss, which took her breath away. "What am I going to do with you, my love?" he asked in deep breaths when he leaned back just a little, enough to have his forehead pressed against hers. She smiled a little and responded, "You will have to tolerate me." "I sure hope our child does not have your stubborn streak, love." "As if yours doesn't exist." "Very well, if you wish to argue with me, you will have to suffer the consequences." Hayley raised her eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. "Is that so? And what if I…" But before she could add anything more, Klaus had grabbed her and placed her over his shoulder making her scream, pounding his back. He chuckled and threw them both on the bed, pulling away her shirt and starting to kiss her neck all the way to her breasts. "You're a dick!" Hayley exclaimed, but she was laughing, and enjoying the feeling of his lips on her. "I know that well enough. I had a lot of sayings coming from my sister." He replied softly and Hayley flinched at the mention of Rebekah. The look in his eyes just broke her heart, so she decided to change the subject back to their child. "What should we name him…or her?" she asked softly, caressing the back of his head, where she knew, was building up tension.

After pleasing her well enough, Klaus pulled his head up to look at her and whispered, "Have I ever told you the story of how our mother lost a baby?" Hayley was shocked and looked at him. "What? What happened?" "Our littlest brother. It happened three years ago. Our mother was supposed to have a son, something which made my father terribly happy. It was not as if he had never loved Rebekah. He does, he always did. Rebekah had always been the apple of his eye, just as I have always been recognized as his favorite son. But he did have a better connection to his sons, rather than his daughter. He wanted to name him Henrik, after his grandfather, who was the biggest Mafia leader New Orleans has ever had, and the wisest as well. But unfortunately…the baby died at birth. My mother was not able to push him out in time, and he died of suffocation. Both of my parents have never been the same since." "Klaus." Hayley breathed and covered her mouth with her hand, beginning to understand the anger and resentment Mikael had as well as Esther's hard ability to open up to people. "It has been hard for the whole family to get past this tragedy. So, I ask of you, that if our child turns out to be a boy, will we have the honor of calling him Henrik?" Hayley nodded and caressed his face. "It's a wonderful name, Klaus." "But I am not my father. If it turns out to be a girl, I won't love her any less. This is not the 18th century."

"I know you would never do that." Hayley responded with sincerity, offering him the comfort he needed, when he was searching those tragic memories of his past. "I cannot imagine how my mother must be feeling to lose her two youngest children." He mumbled and buried his head into Hayley's neck, kissing her gently and then resting in peace and silence with her. "There is hope for things to get better, Klaus. There is always hope." Hayley whispered in his ear, continuing to caress him, when he pulled back and stared at her for a minute, saying, "Hope." She furrowed her eyebrows, confused, but then he added. "Hope, her name shall be Hope." "Her?" "If it's a girl. What do you say? Hope for our relationship and for our family. It is the perfect name for us." Hayley giggled and whispered, "I am not arguing with you on this. Yes, Hope is the perfect baby girl name." "What does my little wolf wish to do now?" Klaus asked in a seductive whisper, as he ran his hand over her bra, hiding her breasts, and gently went down to her pants, fumbling with the zipper and pulling them away from her perfectly slender legs. Hayley let out a small giggle as he pressed kisses over her thighs. "I think you know the answer." She responded, as he continued kissing her body, moving up to her mouth and asking lightly, "Will this hurt our child?" Hayley shook her head, with a smile for his concern. "No. Lots of pregnant couples have sex. It actually helps…but be gentle." "It's a challenge indeed." Klaus said with a smirk, making Hayley laugh again.

…

There were some men who whistled when she got on stage, when she was finally presented as the one who would make the evening of the people of Rousseau's, pleasurable. Camille paid them no mind, as Elijah had informed her to do before. She took a seat on the chair with the violin in her hands. This was her moment, the moment Elijah had done his best to arrange for her, and he was there, in the crowd, at the bar, having a drink but his eyes never left hers. He encouraged her with a smile that warmed her heart. Her dress was comfortable but also quite sexy for her tastes. Taking a deep breath, she started playing her favorite melody, closing her eyes and feeling the rhythm. She was afraid, because the people here were nowhere near as used to this kind of melody as others were. It was smooth and they were hoping for something closer to rock, but this was the violin she was playing, a graceful instrument. Before she knew it, the time had passed and the ending of the melody arrived. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see that everyone was gaping at her. Her heart was pounding inside of her chest, as she stood up and raised her violin, saying, "In memory of Marcel Gerard, the greatest rapper this town has ever had!" The people continued to look at her in awe and tears were filing up in her eyes, at the thought of Marcel.

Elijah stood up at that moment and clapped his hands together, in triumph of her words. Slowly, the other people in the room followed suite. For a moment, Cami thought that this was just their way of being polite in memory of their favorite singer, Marcel, but when they all started smiling and whistling, Cami felt it in her heart that they were cheering for her music too. Elijah turned to the bartender and ordered two margaritas for them. He then turned and saw that she was frozen on the stage with a smile on her face. He stepped over there and took her in his arms, to her delight. "I am very proud of you. Come on." He mumbled and led her off the stage. Camille cleared her throat as they headed over to the bar and she got her drink. "What shall we toast to? To your wonderful performance today?" Elijah asked her but Cami said, "I think we should toast to our victory today." Raising his glass, Elijah nodded, understanding what she meant. They gulped down their drinks in a couple of moments and Cami kissed him on the lips gently. "Thank you for doing this for me. I had no idea that I needed to share my music with other people until I met you." "It is always wise to share your qualities with others, Camille." "Thank you for teaching me that. I had not exactly had anyone in my life to show me the true ropes of…you know."

"Yes, I do know but I am here to stand beside you and promise you that you will have the family that you deserve." Elijah answered. "What about my siblings? You told me that you want me to get close to them now so we can put the past behind us. I can't do that, Elijah. They have hurt me too much, especially Gia. And I don't want you to start pretending that you feel nothing for her. I know you do." Camille answered, making him almost spill his drink. "You think that I am still in love with her?" "I don't know. Are you? I mean…there were no strings attached with the two of you. You found each other. You were not forced together through a marriage of convenience like the two of us…" "Camille, I can assure you that I have loved Gia. I have. But I do not anymore, because the only woman who fills my heart at this moment with pure joy and peace is you. Your soul is pure…unlike Gia's, and that is what makes you special, compared to her." Cami scoffed and replied, "You have to say that, as my husband." "No. I very well mean what I say, Camille. You deserve every ounce of respect for what you have gone through and how you have survived your family's tantrums and mine as well." She was confused, and overwhelmed by the boldness of his words that she simply sat down on his lap and buried her face into his neck. "Thank you for loving me." "I always will. Always." Elijah whispered and kissed her forehead.

After sitting next to each other for a couple of moments, Elijah couldn't bear but notice that someone was watching them. "I believe that is your brother." He mumbled and Cami's head snapped up and looked into the direction her husband was pointing. Sure enough, sitting there in the corner with a beer to his mouth, his eyes the color of onyx and with sandy brown hair…Sean, her half-brother. "Maybe we should go." Cami whispered and got off his lap but Elijah grabbed her hand and stated, "I can go with you if you like, but I will not allow you to keep on running from your problems forever, Camille. Face them." "And what am I supposed to say to him? I barely know Sean. We have not spoken much in all the years we have known each other and for a sibling relationship, even half-sibling relationship, it does quite a lot of damage. And he came back to help Uncle Kieran to overthrow the Mikaelsons. That doesn't bother you at all? He was on the Salvatores' side and now that he knows that Uncle Kieran is dead, he might…" "I am starting to have doubts that he will try anything, seeing as how our family has overthrown the Salvatores just as we promised we shall. We are the greatest known in the Mafia community all over the world and no one is ever going to overthrow our family. Go and speak to him. Resolve your issues if you can. I will be waiting for you here, if you need me…or I can come with you." "No. This is something I must do on my own." Cami finally said and left his side, heading to the table at the corner of the room.

"Sean." She called out to him in barely a whisper. The young lad looked up into the eyes of the girl he had known for a long time but never really connected with. "You're back in town I see." Cami added, seeing that he wouldn't speak. "Uncle Kieran is dead! I guess I have you to thank for that." Camille could sense the sarcasm in his tone, and she knew that he was hurting. "He wanted to hurt me and my family." "He was your family. You betrayed him with a single phone call." "He betrayed me the moment he went after my husband and his family. He should have known better. I warned him." Sean scoffed and looked away but Cami sat down and tried to reason with him. "I know that I can talk to you the way I can never talk to Gia because you have never been cruel to me. Indifferent, yes, but not cruel like her or Uncle Kieran. I chose to stand by the husband I had grown to love. Uncle Kieran forcefully dragged me into a marriage I accepted just to please my family and make him proud of me. And in that chance of happiness I finally found with Elijah, Uncle Kieran decided that he wanted to rip that away from me because of disagreements between him and Mikael. I was not going to let that happen. I turned down his offer, telling him that as my last name is Mikaelson, I will stand with the Mikaelsons and I have." Sean sighed, listening to her words very carefully, unable to say anything else.

"I know that you most probably see me as the bastard daughter of the family, but I can assure you that I never wanted…" She took a deep breath and paused, thinking for a moment before saying, "I never asked for anything except a little support and love from my family. I came to you now because I know that you are not like Gia. I know that we can find a way through this." Her hand reached over to his own hand, and they stared at one another in the eyes. "Uncle Kieran has done terrible things and he was prepared to kill my first chance at happiness, Elijah, my husband, and he paid the price for it. I can never say that the punishment he received was the right one. I loved him and I love him still, as my uncle. You can never truly stop loving family regardless of what they do to you and you know that." Sean looked like he was contemplating on the situation as he watched her with tears in her eyes. "I still see you as my brother, despite not having shared many moments together and in this terrible time, I want to tell you that for whatever fault I have committed…please forgive me, brother. But I also beg that you do not remain blind to the truth of what happened. I know Uncle Kieran came to you and asked you to join him…" "I turned him down." Sean mumbled and Camille frowned. "What?" "I said that I turned him down when he asked. What? You don't believe it?" "I wish I could. He loved you and you loved him. Why not?"

He shrugged and replied, "I simply didn't want to get caught in his schemes. What do you think? That I was blind? I always knew that he was caught up in true dirty business when it comes to the Mafia, and I never wanted to be used as a pawn in his games. Through this marriage he forced you into, he did use you, Cami." "I know he did. But now when I think about it, I couldn't be more grateful. He offered me the chance to having a husband to love, but also a family which loves me despite not having any blood connections and that says a lot. I learned a lot from these experiences but most importantly that blood is not what defines family. It's love and loyalty." When she finished speaking, she thought she saw a smile appear on his face. But the moment was ruined when someone stormed inside of Rousseau's with tears in her eyes and a desperate look on her face. "YOU KILLED HIM! YOU BITCH!" Camille and Sean turned around to see Gia walking over to them and before she could get her hands on Cami, Elijah had grabbed her by her waist and pulled her back. "Calm down. You are drunk." He whispered to her but Gia continued to try to release herself. "YOU KILLED MY UNCLE!" Camille stood up to confront her but at that moment Sean stood up and pointed a finger at his sister. "Shut up, Gia! I will not ask again!"

"Are you taking her side now? What kind of brother are you?" Gia asked, breathing in with anger as Elijah continued to hold her still so she would not dare and pounce on Cami. "I am a brother who has listened to her side of the story as well, and I can tell you that she is not to blame for what happened." Camille looked at him with thankful eyes for his support. Gia growled and finally released herself from Elijah, leaving the bar. "I believe you have proven yourself to not be a traitor to this family after all. Anytime…you are welcome to join us." Elijah told him and Cami smiled at his choice of words. "Thanks but I think I will pass. I am looking for a new start now that I am back, and I am not in the mood to get into anything illegal…as of yet." Grinning from ear to ear, Sean stood up and left. "I think that went rather well. Don't you think so?" Elijah mumbled, kissing Cami's cheek. "Yes. It's a good start for us."

…

Sophie placed her hands on her hips with a smug look on her face as she watched her husband preparing the nursery. "What are you doing here?" she asked and startled him. "I thought I might get a head start on the role of being a father. It's about time, don't you believe so?" "Yes, but you could have told me about which room you are planning on decorating. Why this one?" "Because it's pretty much the only one left we can use." Finn responded. "But it's far from our room. It needs to be close." "Very well. We can turn your old room into the nursery for our baby. How does that sound?" "Perfect." Sophie replied and kissed him briefly. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Yeah, just getting the jitters. So much has happened, with your family…with Kaleb." She saw him flinch at the mention of her ex-best friend and ex-possible lover. "Finn, there is nothing for you to worry about. I love you and you are the father to our child. Nothing is going to happen from this moment on. We will find our inner peace in this family. I promise you." Nodding, Finn pulled her closer for a kiss and whispered, "I want this whole drama to end just as you want it to. And it will…with time." Before she could respond, there were doors banging and Sophie sighed. "Oh God. They are at it again. Kol and Davina."

Leaving the room, Sophie and Finn watched as Davina was standing in the hall with her hands crossed as Kol stood before her, with anger on his face. "I am not letting you leave this house, Davina. I have already made up my mind and the answer is no." "You can't do that to me. I forbid you to keep me here as a prisoner, Kol. I am not your slave. If I want to go to college…" "Hey, hey, children, settle down. Mother is sleeping after a day like this one. In case the two of you have forgotten, Father has been sentenced to prison. Show some respect today." Finn commented as both he and Sophie approached them. "The New Orleans University has approved of you?" Sophie asked Davina and she nodded. "Yes. And I want to go. I want to study." "But you will be on campus, and away from here." Kol snarled. "I will still come here and visit. Kol, please." She made puppy dog eyes and leaned her head towards him, until her lips touched his. She knew that she had that special effect on him, and he could not say no. "I cannot allow you to leave home. Father told you that if you leave again, you are not to come back." "But I will, because your father is not here now, is he?" Davina turned to Sophie and Finn, waiting for requests and opinions, as Sophie was touching her stomach.

"Since Father is gone, the one who leads tis family is Niklaus." Finn stated. "Are you insane? I am not going to ask my own brother what my wife should do. She is my wife, Finn!" Kol told him. "Then treat her like your wife and let her a bit of freedom. She is right. Just because she is married to you that does not mean that she is your property! You need to show her respect, and it is not as if she is wandering around. She is going to get a college education. But from your tastes, I can take it that you like women who are dumb enough to sleep with you." Sophie snapped. Finn whistled at the tough edge in Sophie's voice as Davina stared at her in shock. "Thank you for protecting my feminine honor, Sophie, but this is between me and Kol. I want him to know that this is something I truly want to do. I am going to college. Klaus lets Hayley have a job as a doctor to that hospital. She will be working for hours there." "Yes, but she comes home to him every night. You sleep on campus." Kol growled. "Oh for God's sake, what are you so afraid of?" Davina asked him and then stopped for a moment, thinking.

"Wait! I get it! You're afraid that I am going to meet someone there, right? Like a handsome jock or just a kind and honest man, studying with me…maybe we'll become roommates…you're actually afraid that I am going to find someone there and forget all about you. Is that what the problem is? Just tell me, Kol. We already consummated our marriage." Davina asked him, but he just stood there with no emotion on his face. "You are not going anywhere and that is final, my darling." "Kol, stop it! Just stop being so stubborn and listen to me. Listen to what I am saying. I am not going there so I can find someone. You can…I don't know. What can I do to prove to you that…" "Let me hire you a bodyguard." Kol responded and Davina gaped at him. "Are you out of your mind? I will not agree to this!" Sophie rolled her eyes and said, "Just take the offer, Davina. It's obvious he is not going to let you out otherwise." Davina gave Kol a look and pointed a finger. "No bodyguard. What will you do? Ask him to report to you my every move?" she asked him in anger and Kol smirked, with a nod. "I believe that is not such a bad idea. This way, I can watch any idiot who tries to get into your pants." "I am married and I will never cheat…" "Someone can always get you drunk and before you know it, you will be spreading your legs for someone else in no time."

Davina scowled and was prepared to slap him but he pulled her to him and kissed her passionately, as Finn and Sophie looked at each other in a state of shock and decided to back away from there, letting the two to their business. "A bodyguard or no deal, darling." Kol whispered as they finally pulled away from their kiss. Davina looked at him in the eyes, took a deep breath, sighed and started shaking her head, but he grabbed a hold of her chin and made her look at him. "Tell me that you accept this deal because I am not the type to stand in the way of education, if you know what I mean. Please, Davina. Do me this favor and allow me to make sure you'll be safe." "My safety? That is what you are so worried about?" "On most part, yes." She huffed and tapped her heels until her response was, "Yes, fine. A bodyguard it is." Kol smiled, a true smile this time and kissed her hand softly. "Thank you."

…

Esther could barely breathe at the news that has been dropped on her. "I thought you ought to know, Mother." Klaus whispered with his hands behind his back and with his head down, unable to look at his mother in the eyes. Esther nearly lost her balance and Elijah had to be there to catch her. "How could you allow this to happen? How could you betray your own father this way? Niklaus, you were his favorite. When he finds out…" "HE IS NOT!" Klaus yelled out at her, letting fear strike through her eyes and through Elijah's as well. Klaus had a lot inherited of his father's temper and would not be crossed in a situation as this one. "He is not to find out, Mother, for your own sake and for his. This was the right thing to do for this family. I have heard you in church, praying for him for years…to change his cruel methods and end the killings in New Orleans. Has he done so? No. More killings had followed which nearly diminished every bit of peace this city ever had. Father nearly destroyed the Board and exposed us to the FBI. That is not going to happen again…not with me in charge. I hope I am being clear." Esther whimpered as Elijah raised her up into his arms and she whispered, "My son, my biggest son…tell me that you had no idea. Tell me that you were not involved."

Klaus smirked and said, "It was his idea, Mother. His plan. I simply obliged and did the right thing." "How could you, Elijah?" Esther asked with shock. "Father had to pay, Mother. Five years in prison is a small price to pay for the deaths committed." Elijah replied, looking at the ground and not into her orbits. "My sons…is this the way I have raised you? Your father has taught you to never betray your family." "He has betrayed us, Mother, yet you choose to turn a blind eye and forget about it because you love him and you wish to remain loyal to him. I love you as my mother, but unfortunately, I cannot trust you to visit Father on your own, with the chance of you telling him that Elijah and I were behind his lockdown. Therefore, either I or Elijah shall accompany you." "Do Kol and Finn know about this?" Esther asked. "No one knows except me, Elijah, Hayley and now you. Oh, and of course the judge I bribed in order to give him a very small punishment. After all…he is my father, but a few years in prison will make him recalculate his methods in this family and on the Board. I remember the time he has dared to touch Hayley. He bruised her for something her father had revealed on the Board. That is never going to happen again. Not on my watch." Esther looked at him. "Niklaus, my son, he apologized for that." "No apology had been accepted. My wife does not deserve the punishments my father had thrown upon her. New rules will be set in this family by me, which Father will follow when he returns home."

There were footsteps and the door opened to Klaus' chamber, with Hayley walking inside. She looked over at Esther and realized what had happened. "Mother knows, love. Come here." Klaus told her, gently and raised his hand, which she took and stood by his side. "Hayley, my dear, is it possible that it was you who told my sons…" "Mother, that is enough! You shall not dare accuse Hayley of anything!" Klaus nearly yelled at her. "Niklaus, please. She has heard enough as of now. She needs rest. Let me speak to her." Elijah told him. "Water, please." She whispered as the eldest brother continued to hold her by her arm. "Let's go, Mother. I have something to talk to you about and you should rest." Elijah whispered in her ear, as Klaus dismissed them. Taking a deep breath, and with a smile playing on his face, Klaus whispered, "It feels good to be the one in charge in this family. Everything goes as I please. My father had so much fun." He knew he had stepped over the line with such words when Hayley's face fell. "I'm sorry, little wolf. It was not my intention…" "I love you." She said and cupped his cheeks, adoringly, placing a kiss on his pink lips. "As I love you." He responded, confused by her sudden approach of passion. "Do you?" she asked. "You know I do, little wolf." "Then promise me that you will no longer use such harsh words towards your mother. She has been through a lot, finding out that her own sons were responsible for putting her husband behind bars."

"You have a lot to learn about my mother, Hayley. She is cunning and you have no idea what she is capable of. I do not trust her with this secret, which is why Elijah and I must keep a close eye on her." "How do you know that she won't tell Finn or Kol about this? How do you know that they won't react harshly towards you?" Klaus placed his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. "My love, I have thought of everything. You needn't worry about these matters. What matters are between the two of us, is the child that you now carry." He whispered and caressed her stomach gently, making her heart flutter. "I want to show you something." He said to her and Hayley's face lightened up when he took her hand and led her to the Art Room, a sacred room for him, a place where only he and his wife were now allowed to enter such walls, along with their children. "I have made a special lock on this door…with two keys only. One for me…" he held out one to her and whispered, "…and now one for you. I trust that you will keep it safe for us." Hayley nodded and accepted the key, for which he knew was not only the one which unlocked the chamber but also his heart. He stepped over to the portrait he had placed in the middle of all his others. "Come here. Take a look at this." He encouraged her.

Hayley went over and stopped when she saw that it was the portrait of a young brunette woman, whose face could not be seen, holding a baby to her breasts. "When did you paint this?" she asked him. Klaus grinned and answered, "Over two years ago. Rebekah had been my witness." "What? But she looks…" "Like you, I know. Her face features are unknown but the rest…is how I imagine you in nine months, with our child. I was waiting for you. I always knew deep inside my heart that…even though it was a time when I used women to sleep with them and never cared enough to give my heart to one of them. But I have now, and I am glad I did." She was very impressed with his words. "And one more thing." He whispered and went to the back of the room, where he pulled out something wrapped in small sheets. It was heavy, when he placed it in her hands, truly heavy. "Found among the possessions of Giuseppe Salvatore and his newest lover, Jane Anne Deveraux. Now, it is yours, from me." Hayley pulled away the sheets and gasped as she saw the image of a black diamond. "One of the world's rarest jewels, and of course, probably the most expensive one. I kept this a secret from my brothers, who suspected that I have taken something other than the fortune Giuseppe had. This is what I took…for you." "But this is too much, Klaus." Hayley whispered, shaking her head. "You let me be the judge of that. You are my wife, my Queen and I am proud to offer you jewels to match your beauty and intelligence."

"Thank you for this gift. It's way more than I deserve but thank you." Hayley told him and kissed his cheek. "What do you think is going to happen now?" she asked him and Klaus shrugged. "I believe that I should start making the necessary preparations for your father to be awarded the role of President of the Board. As he was my father's right hand man, I believe this is his right and he might become a better leader than my father was." "I wouldn't want you to enrage your father when he finds out." Hayley whispered. "Don't worry, love. I have everything under control." Hayley nodded with a smile but after a moment she said, "Klaus…we're going to have our own baby." He raised his eyebrows and stepped closer to her, connecting his forehead to hers. "Yes, I am well aware of that. Are you excited as I am?" "Yes, of course but that is not what I wanted to talk to you about." "Then what is it?" "I think that maybe we are too crowded in this place. I was thinking that we should get our own house." "You wish to leave my family's home?" Klaus asked her, shocked. "Not because I have not enjoyed my time here, but because I think it's right for each couple to start their own lives. We are different and it will get too crowded with me having a child and Sophie too. I was thinking that it might be nice for us to get a place of our own. And since…you're not interested in being the leader of the Mafia Board you might consider…" "What?" "…maybe taking the role of a true lawyer? Make this your real job?" "You wish to leave the Mafia?" "Not exactly, but I want us to have a life and including the Mafia in it, it's so very impossible." "Love, the Mafia…" "I know. I know that what I am asking is…too much, but if we are going to have this baby, I want a safer environment and after everything that has happened…" "Very well. Trust me. I shall think about this." Klaus responded.

…

They were walking alongside one another, to the Lafayette Cemetery, where they knew that she was buried. Hayley, Camille, Sophie and Davina were cloaked, to survive the rainy weather. They had talked about doing this and since Rebekah had welcomed them with warmth and kindness into their family, they had accepted to do this for her. As promised, Mikael had buried his daughter alongside Marcel Gerard, as a tribute to their love, but also for the fact that he was racked with guilt, over getting both of them killed, through his actions. "Right here." Davina whispered and pointed to the tombstone, where Rebekah Mikaelson was carved, on the right side of Marcel Gerard. The four women sat down on their knees, on the grass. "Hi, Rebekah." Hayley whispered with a small smile as the water splashed on her face from the rain. "We wanted to see you…and I hope that you will hear us out." Camille continued and then looked at each other girls next to her. Sophie cleared her throat and said, "You know…you talked to me about wanting to have your own children one day…and now, I cannot tell you how horribly sorry I am that you have not received the chance. But I have…and I came here to tell you that I am pregnant and…yes…Finn and I are going to have a baby."

"Elijah showed me how to play the violin." Cami whispered when Sophie was done saying what needed to be said. "He has always been kind to me, the way the other members of my family have never been. With his help, I received the courage I needed in order to overcome this madness, which was stage fright. Part of it, because my sister Gia used to torture me when we were younger and I never managed to get over it. I know that you knew about me and Marcel...he was my friend, I thought he would be more, but he always loved you…you were always his true love and now you are reunited in the Heavens. Elijah and I are happy together, and I know that for some reason, I have you to thank for that, Rebekah. So thank you." Camille finished speaking and Davina came forth this time. "You have been present at the times when Kol was so rude and mean to me. You would be happy to know that we are doing a lot better now. I asked him about going to college for studies, and after some persuasion, he accepted to let me leave. I think it is for the best and for our relationship to progress. His aggression towards me at the beginning of our marriage is something I want to leave in the past. I want to be prepared for the future. Your brother is a great human being, so never doubt it. I wish you well too." Finally, it was Hayley who took the stand. Her eyes were on her hands which were pulling out some grass.

"You told me…about Klaus. You knew him better than anyone. You told me about his issues and you were not here in order to see us truly happy and in love. That has happened, Rebekah, and he has chosen to leave his fear of intimacy and sentimental attraction behind in order for us to have a family together. I love him like I never loved any man before, and I would gladly stand by him for as long as I live. He showed me the portrait of that brunette with a baby. He told me that it was me…and he has been waiting for me to come into his life, subconsciously. I know that it was you who had been there when he painted it and opened up his heart towards new beginnings of passion and love, and I want to thank you for that. Also…" Hayley covered her stomach with a small smile. "I wanted to tell you that I am pregnant. I will have Klaus' baby…and in your honor, if it turns out to be a girl, I will personally make sure that her middle name with be Rebekah. Thank you for your support, and know that you will always be treasured in this family." The four girls placed the flowers they had brought, on the graves of both Rebekah and Marcel and departed, knowing well in their hearts that she has heard them and would be there to guide them forever.

…

 **5 years later**

…

They have been living peacefully for these past five years. As soon as Jack Marshall was appointed President of the Board by his son-in-law, Klaus chose to move from his parents' home and buy a home of his own with Hayley, his wife. A house not as majestic as the house the Mikaelson family had for centuries, in tradition. As Hayley had stated, it was time for them to make their own traditions. Klaus had found the courage to take a break from the Mafia and focus on a new career, that of being the official prosecutor of New Orleans. Hayley, without fear that it would danger her pregnancy, had continued serving the New Orleans Charity Hospital, and has made her patients happy and healthy. Soon after Mikael had been jailed, and a year after her relationship with her half-brother, Sean had been repaired, Camille found herself pregnant at last, soon to be expecting a baby boy. Sophie and Finn were proud to be mother and father to a strong and healthy boy which they named Connor Mikaelson. As for Davina, to her absolute surprise, as she reached campus, she found out she was expecting a child as well, after her unprotected consummation of her marriage to Kol.

"Mommy! Come and see what I did!" the young Hope Rebekah Mikaelson exclaimed that afternoon as her mother arrived home from the hospital, to hug her daughter. "How are you, my darling baby girl?" "Just fine, Mommy." The four year-old Hope nodded, as the former household maid of the Mikaelsons, Laura, appeared, with a smile on her face. "Has she been good, Laura?" Hayley asked her. "Of course, ma'am. She has shown me a wonderful picture she had drawn of you, your husband, herself and Henrik as well." "Oh that is wonderful!" Hayley exclaimed and kissed her daughter, just as Hope's twin brother, Henrik Marcel Mikaelson had come downstairs to greet his mother. Five years ago, both Klaus and Hayley were overjoyed to learn that they were not going to have just one baby, but two. Twins, deciding to name them as they had planned but on behalf of the deceased Rebekah and Marcel, they had decided to give them their middle names. "Momma! Where is Dad?" Henrik jumped into Hayley's arms as she held her son close to her. "You know what? I think that your daddy still has a trial to take care of." "Not fair! Our birthday!" Hope huffed and crossed her hands over her chest with a frown. "Yes, sweetie. I know it is your birthday and remember what your daddy has promised you?" "Grandpa?" Henrik asked and Hayley nodded. "Yes. Everyone in our family is coming over to celebrate your birthdays, and Daddy is bringing your grandfather to see you for the first time. Are you excited?" "Where has he been?" Hope asked, sticking her finger in her mouth. Hayley smiled and pulled her finger away.

"Your grandpa Mikael had been on a very special journey." She decided to tell them and Hope clapped her hands. "Will he bring us presents?" "Of course! Everyone will bring presents to the two of you! You are stars!" Putting down her children, Hayley went to change after a tired day at work. But she was not regretting it at all. This would be a big night for everyone. The whole Board was attending to the twins' birthday party including her mother and father. Laura stepped inside the room and helped her lady get dressed. "Is everything going to be alright when Mikael finally sees them?" she asked in a whisper. Laura looked at her for a moment before nodding with a smile. "Believe me, m'lady, I believe Mr. Mikaelson had learned his lesson." "I truly hope so. And Laura, how many times have I told you...?" "Forgive me…Hayley." Laura responded with a small smile and a wink, at finally saying her lady's first name as she was asked once, a long time ago.

Klaus had pulled Hayley into his arms and kissed her passionately when he arrived home, as well as his two children for whom he was very proud of, for turning five years old, exactly on the day Mikael was released after doing hard time in jail. Mikael had come with Esther, and the two of them were as old as they could possibly get but Mikael had not lost his strength in order to offer Hope and Henrik some compassion on their birthday. As asked by her sons, Esther had not revealed the plan Klaus and Elijah had cooked up all those years before, to put their father in jail for the crimes. Sophie and Finn were first to arrive afterwards with Mika and Robert Deveraux. Connor Mikaelson had a toothy grin on his face and he looked a lot like his father, as well as he had his father's charm but his mother's rebellious side. Connor Mikaelson had already turned five years old, but would not miss the day of his cousins. Next came David and Nina Claire, alongside their daughter, Davina, their son-in-law, Kol and of course, their three year old daughter, Emma Mikaelson. Camille and Elijah were most welcomed with Sean, the half-brother of Cami, who had managed to integrate himself into the family. Edward Mikaelson was the name of the four-year old son Elijah and Camille were proud of. At just four years old, Edward, like his mother, had a passion for music and instead of bedtime stories, he preferred that his parents read him poetry. He was taught to play the fluke and the violin.

Annabelle and Jack Marshall hugged their daughter hello and presented their grandchildren with wonderful gifts. None of the members of the Board were pleased to welcome Mikael back into their world, but for the sake of the birthday of the twins, they decided to put business behind them. However, the ambitious Hayley would not stay out of what she was not part of. She insisted that her father gave her updates on the relationship between the Mafia and the police officers who were slowly starting to see the truth in front of their eyes. "We will not leave New Orleans, but there must be something we can do." Jack whispered. "Then maybe we should integrate them into the family." "How do you suppose we do that?" "The pieces of the biggest black diamond in existence would do." Hayley responded. "You have such a thing?" "It was given to me as a gift from Klaus, but after I speak to him, I am sure that this can be our salvation. The police cannot say no to something as valuable as this. We will make them rich beyond their wildest dreams, and they will leave the Board alone." Hayley explained and smiled as Jack chuckled. "I am so proud to have raised such a bright young woman like you as a daughter. I do not care that you are not my blood. I can see a bit of me and a bit of your mother when I look at you. You are my daughter." "Thank you, Daddy." Hayley whispered.

"I have heard about the black diamond from your father." Klaus whispered as he found himself alone in the dining room with Hayley, after the feast in honor of the birthday of Hope and Henrik. Hayley turned around and kissed his lips. "I love you and I know that black diamond represented your love for me five years ago but we can make this work, if you agree." She wrapped her hands around his neck as he brought her closer. "How do you suppose we do that, my love?" "We bribe those officers. Surely they cannot say no to the pieces of the rarest jewel in existence. Please don't be angry with me for suggesting that we use that diamond." "I am not angry. I am proud that I have a wife who finds solutions to my problems. We are to make our lives easier this way. Besides…" he kissed her hand gently and whispered, "I have to admit that a black diamond doesn't even begin to show my love for you, Hayley Mikaelson. I can buy you any jewel…but it would still not be enough." "I am glad to hear that. Because I love you just as much and I always will." They kissed each other passionately. His one hand had gone from her waist to her leg and back up. Their lips continued meeting each other, while he fondled with the dress, trying to reach her breasts. Suddenly, he pulled back from their kiss, catching his breath as he frowned slightly. There was something in her bra. Hayley pulled out the object she had hidden in her bra and showed it to him.

Klaus couldn't help but chuckle as he realized it was a gun. "What are you doing with that, little wolf?" "What do you think I might be doing with it?" she asked, smirking. Klaus raised an eyebrow and whispered huskily as he kissed her neck, "Does it have something to do with you agreeing to be my murderous wife again?" Hayley giggled as he continued to trail kisses on her neck, to her jaw and then on the swell of her breasts. "Yeah, here's the thing. I know that I told you that we should start a more normal life for our children, and we did the right thing because they were babies and now they are still young, and even though I went through a lot of suffering through the Mafia adventures years ago…I can't help but miss the excitement a little. We lead a wonderful life as a prosecutor and a doctor…but it is dull, I have to admit it is." "Is that so? So what do you propose we do, my love?" "I say we that we get back into the business and…go after our remaining enemies." Hayley whispered, smugly. "I have to admit that I love the sound of that, wife, though it is unexpected, coming from you." "What can I say? I am a mobster's daughter after all." Hayley stated and the two of them kissed each other hungrily, setting down the gun and passionately making love to one another throughout the night.

 **A/N: The end of the story! I really hope that you liked the ending and the family reunion. Klaus and Hayley finally decided that (like Damon said in TVD) "Life sucks when you're ordinary." And it's true. They miss the excitement and like it or not, their children are mobsters just like they are always going to be by blood.**

 **I am taking a vacation now for a week and when I come back, I will start writing the sequel to Blissful Desires. I did promise you, after all, and trust me, with all the ideas going on in my mind for that plot, it is going to be epic. Lots of action in a lot of chapters.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


End file.
